Berkshires top-ranked by National Geographic

The Berkshires are one of the ten best destinations on Earth, according to the National Geographic, which rated 133 places and determined that the Berkshires of Massachusetts shares a rating seventh-place of 76 with the Douro Valley in Portugal, Switzerland’s Engadine Region, and Wales itself, which would amuse Berkshire literary icon Herman Melville. While a global top-ten listing may justify a bit of boasting, we Berkshireites must gaze up (northward) and see that the whole state of Vermont sits in fifth place!

National Geographic compiled its ratings from panelists who are familiar with the places they rated and also experts in the fields of historic preservation, site management, geography, sustainable tourism, ecology, indigenous cultures, travel writing and photography, and archaeology. Each of the 133 locations were evaluated according to six criteria:

• environmental and ecological quality;
• social and cultural integrity;
• condition of historic buildings and archaeological sites;
• aesthetic appeal;
• quality of tourism management;
• outlook for the future.

Among the panelists’ comments published in the article are these: “Still undiscovered enough, and with a tradition of slow-growth tourism to add cultural pizzazz to the lush scenery, the Berkshires seem to have the right balance. The landscape will need to come together around these values to maintain them for the long haul.”

“A cultural hideaway. Still favored more by New Yorkers than Bostonians, but never feels overrun even in the height of summer and during the peak of foliage.”

“Gentrification is one of the biggest threats. The area is stunning, but the demand for boutiques and Norman Rockwell experiences pushes out the mom-and-pop establishments. A balance must be maintained to preserve the area.”