The Bison Land, in Northern Romania’s Neamt county, has been included this year in the Top 100 Sustainable Destinations in the world. It is the first time a region in Romania is included in the top.

The region covers the Vânători Neamț Nature Park, encompassing Târgu Neamț and the communes of Agapia, Vânători – Neamț, Bălțătești, and Crăcăoani.

The criteria for the inclusion were nature protection, the landscape, the preservation of cultural heritage, the inhabitants involved in tourism, and the promotion of local products, among others.

“An amazing wild fauna, including the great predators of Carpathians and the European bison, is present in the area. There are many historical places and museums representing attraction points. From the characteristics of the area, the Bison Land will become a preferred touristic location for practicing sustainable tourism [...],” a presentation in the Top reads.

The area was also certified as an Ecotouristic Destination by the National Agency for Tourism, for the period of 2016-2019.

The Top 100 Sustainable Destinations in the world includes the regions of Katwijk in The Netherlands, Costa Rica, Yi Xian in Anhui, China, Geilo in Norway, the Selinda Reservation in Botswana, Los Angeles in the US, Comrie in Scotland, or the Chumbe Island in Zanzibar, Tanzania.

The Top 100 initiative aims to recognize tourism destinations that have worked hard to make a difference and take sustainability seriously. The Sustainable Destinations Top 100 competition is organized by Green Destinations in cooperation with 20 other international organizations for sustainable tourism. The aim of the competition is to highlight success stories in destination management, and to exchange good practices between destinations. Selection involves formal nomination by destination ambassadors and evaluation by a panel of some 100 international experts.

Four bison released in Romania’s Vanatori-Neamt Natural Park

editor@romania-insider.com