'Best in the world': Alberta named on National Geographic's list of top travel destinations

Alberta has been named on National Geographic's annual list of the world’s best destinations for travelers. (Pexels/Andre Furtado)

If you're looking for your next adventure, National Geographic suggests taking a trip to Alberta.

The Prairie province has made the publication's annual list of the "Best of the World" for travellers to visit.

The list of 25 breathtaking places and experiences for 2023 is divided into five categories: community, nature, culture, family and adventure.

"These 25 destinations for 2023 are under the radar, ahead of the curve, and ready for you to start exploring," said Nat Geo.

Alberta was selected in the category of community, listed among the top five spots for slow travel in 2023. 

"Alberta is celebrated for such natural wonders as the Athabasca Glacier and Banff National Park, both high in the Rocky Mountains; its wide-open Prairie vistas; and the glass-and-steel modernity of cities like Calgary and Edmonton," reads the article.

"But there are different perspectives to consider in this Canadian province, part of a rethinking about how Indigenous stories are told across all of North America."

Alberta has been named on National Geographic's annual list of the world’s best destinations for travelers. (Pixabay/Sonyuser)In the article, National Geographic speaks with Cree/Iroquois guide Brenda Holder, who leads visitors on walks and workshops in the woods near Sundre, Alta., to examine the medicinal plants her people rely upon.

“[Travellers] who seek us out want to reconnect and refocus,” Holder said.

Among the tourism spots the magazine mentions are Elk Island National Park and Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park.

"Experience how long-held traditions and contemporary perspectives intersect with Indigenous tourism outfitters in Alberta," said Nat Geo.

Tourism Alberta, meanwhile, says the article's "spotlight shines brightly on the place we call home."

"By further amplifying this announcement, we have the amazing opportunity to re-educate travellers on what it means to have an Indigenous tourism experience in the place now known as Alberta. Indigenous tourism provides an opportunity for travellers to immerse into the destination, to walk with Indigenous tourism partners; hear stories that connect past, present and future; and to gain a fresh perspective, leaving with a different view of the world," said Tourism Alberta in a news release.

Other locales featured among the five top spots for slow travel in 2023 are Laos, Dodecanese Islands in Greece, Ghana and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.