Dumfries and Galloway gets global travel destination recognition

A "thrilling and overlooked" part of Scotland has received recognition as one of the best travel destinations on the planet

Dumfries and Galloway is the only UK site on the National Geographic's Best of the World list for 2027.

It praises the area's attractions including its role as a dark sky destination for stargazers, as well as its cycling and walking routes.

Tourism body the South of Scotland Destination Alliance (SSDA) said it was an "extraordinary opportunity" to promote the region to "new audiences around the world".

National Geographic releases its Best of the World list every year. It celebrates places and travel experiences that "illuminate the world and the diversity of communities and people within it".

Selected by editors from around the world in collaboration with experts and expedition leaders, the list features both up-and-coming destinations and established locations with "something new to offer".

Last year's list included the Dolomites mountain range in Italy as well as Beijing and Rio de Janeiro.

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National Geographic describes Dumfries and Galloway as "one of Scotland's most thrilling and overlooked destinations" offering "landscapes as wild as the Highlands and as romantic as the Islands".

It praised the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory, currently under construction in the Galloway Forest Park, as "one of the world's best spots for celestial viewing".

Other highlighted attractions include a new coastal hiking trail around the Rhins of Galloway and the region's world-class biking terrain, which it describes as being "spruced up just in time to host the opening leg of the 2027 Tour de France."

The latest recognition highlights the region's reputation as a dark sky destination.

In 2009, the Galloway Forest Park was designated as the UK's first international dark sky park and a new observatory is due to open next year at Clatteringshaws.

It also recognises the area's coasts and castles, food and drink and unique wildlife and comes after a south of Scotland walking route was recognised in the Lonely Planet Best in Travel Guide.

St Cuthbert's Way, which follows the journey of a medieval monk through the Borders and Northumberland was chosen as one of the world's top travel experiences.

Matthew Wallace Jnr runs the Cairndale Hotel and Spa in Dumfries, winner of best hotel at the South of Scotland Thistle Awards earlier this month.

"There's a growing sense of energy, ambition and pride across the south of Scotland, with businesses coming together under the Scotland Starts Here brand to show the world what we offer," he said.

"Having a global name like National Geographic shine a light on Dumfries and Galloway is another exciting sign of that momentum."

At the western edge of the region, Central Cafe owner Romano Petrucci is chairman of the Stranraer Development Trust and the town's oyster festival.

"It's exciting to see National Geographic recognising what Dumfries and Galloway has to offer international visitors, and here in Stranraer we want to make the most of that attention," he said.

"With the oyster festival and growing enthusiasm for the vision of a major visitor attraction on the East Pier, there's a real sense of pride and possibility in the town.

"For businesses like mine, success means more people stopping, enjoying a meal, exploring our shops and discovering a place they'll want to come back to."

SSDA chief executive David Hope-Jones said the "wonderful recognition" reflected the "energy, creativity and hard work of tourism businesses and communities across the region".

"National Geographic's recognition gives us an extraordinary opportunity to introduce Dumfries and Galloway to new audiences around the world."

The recognition was welcomed by the local council, as well as Visit Scotland chief executive Vicki Miller, who described it as a "testament to the region's strong pull for visitors".

"Tourism and events are hugely important to the region, with the benefits of the visitor economy felt right across Dumfries and Galloway," she said.

"This exciting accolade will strengthen its reputation and profile as a first-class visitor destination."

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