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Explore the world’s top cultural excursions and engaging travel experiences. These are the top 30 nations and areas for cultural tourism this year, ranging from Southern India to the High Arctic.
Cultural tourism, or travel that places an emphasis on understanding and respecting other cultures, has never been more alluring as many of us search for more profound and significant travel experiences.
Through immersive cultural encounters, tourists can learn new skills, build lasting relationships, and gain a fresh perspective on the world. They may also pave the way for slower, more environmentally friendly travel that helps nearby communities and has a smaller negative impact on the environment.
I hope this guide to culture and travel gives you some ideas, whether you’re an experienced cultural traveler planning your next trip or you want to explore new places but don’t know where to begin.
For guidance on interacting with diverse cultures in a considerate and sensitive manner, I also recommend reading these socially conscious travel recommendations.
Cultural tourism: what is it?
As diverse and complex as culture itself, cultural travel is hard to define and very individualized. Cultural tourism, in my opinion, is a type of travel that places an emphasis on experiences and activities meant to fully immerse you in a culture that is different from your own.
It could entail experiencing intangible cultural components (rituals, performances, processes) or consuming physical cultural items (museums, archaeological sites, food, tea). It includes both historical and modern lifestyles, attitudes, and beliefs in addition to art, literature, religious monuments, and the like.
When you travel, it’s nearly impossible to avoid the local culture. No matter what your reason is, you will inevitably encounter some element of the local way of life, even if it’s just by eating the food or picking up a few words.
Aside from these chance meetings, cultural tourism is a more deliberate attempt to interact with the local way of life through specialized activities. For instance, a cultural traveler would schedule their vacation around a festival, much as an adventure traveler might look for a certain hiking trail.
Benefits and drawbacks of cultural travel
It’s practically a given that cultural tourism will enhance your vacation experience. It’s important to remember, though, that there are advantages and disadvantages to this kind of travel for host communities.
By preserving endangered customs, cultural tourism promotes the preservation of culture and history. For instance, there may not be much of a need for historical handcraft skills, but outside interest (as well as the chance to make money) may be sufficient to preserve a custom that might otherwise be lost.
In a similar vein, cultural tourism can encourage improved preservation of physical historic assets, guaranteeing that monuments and similar structures be preserved for future generations. When cultural tourism creates new social enterprises, local businesses, and women-led initiatives focused on providing tourists with an immersive experience, it can have significant positive social and environmental effects.
In contrast, authenticity is always a question mark when it comes to cultural travel. Does a ritual lose its significance if it is carried out for the benefit of others? A major problem that affects many communities and has the potential to harm social and economic development more generally is the commodification of culture for tourism.
Traveling to more remote locations is a common component of cultural tourism, which brings with it a number of additional benefits and drawbacks. Although a road built for tourists’ benefit provides new infrastructure for the region, it may hasten globalization and cultural deterioration, and tourists themselves may exacerbate environmental degradation or create social tensions.
These are complex problems. In my opinion, one of the most significant parts of travel is cultural interchange, and when done well and with active community involvement, the advantages can sometimes exceed the disadvantages.
The top nations and areas for cultural travel
In terms of local culture, every town, city, county, and region in the world has something truly remarkable to offer. Because of this, choosing the “best” locations for cultural tourism is extremely challenging.
All 30 of these carefully chosen locations, however, are notable for their lavish festivals and festivities, delectable food, and traditional handicrafts that provide visitors a glimpse of the local way of life and culture.
My best recommendations for enjoying a more culturally immersive trip, wherever you go in the globe, are at the end of the list.
With Medellin as its headquarters, the Antioquia Department in the northwest has grown to be one of the most visited tourist sites in the nation because of its beautiful scenery, vibrant small towns, and history of coffee cultivation.
The Paisas, a self-described cultural group whose name is derived from a Spanish word meaning “countryman,” live in this region of Colombia along with a number of other departments. They consume their own food, speak their own dialect, and preserve their culture through a strong folklore and music legacy.
The poets, writers, and painters of the Antioquia region define its culture today. Then there is Medellin itself, which has changed significantly in recent years and is now regarded as one of the major cultural centers of the nation.
Antioquia’s best cultural experiences
Savor Paisa cuisine: Exploring Antioquia’s culinary scene is one of the main pleasures of traveling there. The landscape and style of life in the Colombian Andes have a big impact on Paisa cuisine; foods that are high in carbohydrates and contain rice, beans, and maize are meant to feed the body for labor-intensive, backbreaking labor on the land. The most well-known traditional meal and a must-try in Medellin is bandeja paisa. Carne asada (grilled beef), chicharrón (crispy pig rind), rice, and red beans are the Antioquian equivalent of a ploughman’s lunch. On the side are a corn arepa, fried plantains, a fried egg, and a slice of avocado. It isn’t for the weak of heart!
See a pueblo: Colombia is known for its charming flower boxes and tiny communities with vibrantly painted walls. Some of the most beautiful pueblos in the nation, such as Jardin, Jericó and Santa Fe de Antioquia, are located in Antioquia. Most were created in the Spanish era and have the same basic layout: a market, a church, a public plaza, and rows and rows of homes constructed in the local vernacular. Medellin’s Pueblo Paisa is a model town in the center of the metropolis that is ideal if you’re pressed for time.
Shop at the San Alejo artisan market: Don’t pass up this special chance to observe Colombian artisan customs on exhibit if you’re in Medellin on the first Saturday of the month. Vendors from all over the region converge on the city to provide artisanal meals and traditional goods like woven Wayuu bags. To learn how these Indigenous products are made, you can speak with the merchants and observe live demonstrations.
See Comuna 13: Medellin’s Comuna 13 offers a respectful and thoughtful look into the city’s turbulent recent past. You can explore it with a local guide. This assortment of formerly renowned urban neighborhoods has come to represent the country’s metamorphosis and cultural renewal. Visitors can enjoy street art, music, and other manifestations of local ingenuity.
The stunning island was named Cubanacán by the indigenous Taino Indians. It was shortened to “Cuba” by the Spanish when they arrived in 1511 and claimed it for Spain, calling it “the most beautiful land human eyes have ever beheld.”
The nation’s ethnic makeup is a dynamic blend of Europeans, Africans who were brought in as slaves during the 1700s, and a sizable population of Chinese who were brought in as indentured servants. Unfortunately, most of the original residents have vanished.
The Cuban Revolution was successful in turning the country into a communist one on December 31, 1959. Since then, the island nation has been trapped in a state of semi-isolation because of its antagonistic relationship with the United States.
The often dilapidated houses have received minimal repair, and the automobiles that drive the streets are the same vintage American models from the 1950s.
Cuba’s rich and renowned culture reflects the people’s spirit despite its difficult past. Learn the dos and don’ts of traveling to Cuba before you leave.
Cuba’s top cultural experiences
Enjoy a night of dancing at a musical venue. Numerous musical styles, such as Afro-Cuban jazz, mambo, and cha-cha-cha, originated in Cuba. Global music categories have benefited from the contributions and enrichment of these Afro-European genres. Make sure to attend one of Cuba’s renowned jazz festivals or carnivals.
Overdose on art and architecture: Cuba is a culture vulture’s heaven, home to nine UNESCO World Heritage sites and an incredible array of museums. The capital, Havana, has the most, but the second city, Santiago de Cuba, and the immaculately maintained colonial city of Trinidad also have some hidden treasures. Cuban architecture includes Art Deco from the 1920s as well as Spanish colonial and French Baroque styles. Start by visiting the Bacardi Museum in Santiago and the Museum of Fine Arts in Havana, but don’t miss the delicious Museum of Chocolate or the oddball Rum Museum either.
Stay in a Cuban homestay: These are known as “casas particulares,” and they are similar to Airbnb. This is your chance to experience Cuban culture and live with a Cuban family.
Hike: Cuba offers a chance to enjoy the outdoor culture through its 1,500 miles (2,400 km) of coastline, national parks, and biosphere reserves.
With a population of little over 17 million, Ecuador is a highly culturally diversified country that is worth visiting for cultural tourism.
While the country’s mountainous center is dominated by a diverse mix of Andean Indigenous communities and customs, it still retains a significant Spanish colonial impact with widely observed Catholic festivals and traditions. Numerous Indigenous communities from the Amazon and their customs have a significant influence in the east.
African traditions imported by enslaved peoples during colonization, on the other hand, have left their mark on Ecuador’s coast.
A visit to Ecuador is a must for any cultural traveler because of the country’s great range of cultures, each of which has its own festivals, local cuisine, and other activities.
Ecuador’s top cultural experiences
Visit a distant community in the Amazon rainforest: Learning about and experiencing the rich customs of an Indigenous community is one of the most well-liked and captivating cultural experiences for tourists visiting Ecuador. You may even customize a low-cost Amazonian jungle tour to include a visit to an Indigenous settlement, where you will learn how to prepare traditional foods and drinks like chicha. More in-depth cultural experiences, like homestays, ceremonial cleansings, or even ayahuasa retreats, are frequently provided by tribes that invite tourists further into the Amazon.
Celebrate Easter in Ecuador: In addition to Ecuador’s indigenous customs, visitors can participate in a number of well-known Catholic holidays. Thousands of purple-hooded devotees carrying crosses and statues participate in Quito’s Easter parade, called the Procesión Jesús del Gran Poder, which takes place during Holy Week. Enjoy a bowl of traditional Fanesca, a thick, creamy soup cooked with twelve grains, which stand in for the Twelve Disciples.
Dress up for Día de los Difuntos: November 2nd is Día de los Difuntos, often known as the “Day of the Deceased,” another Indigenous-based cultural holiday. Ecuador visits graves and pays respect to the deceased as part of its celebrations. Colada morada, a thick, sweet beverage made with berries and fruit and thickened with blue corn flour before being served warm, and guaguas de pan, bread shaped like a baby and filled with fruit jam, are also prepared and consumed during celebrations. For at least a month before the celebrations, bakeries all around the nation sell these delectable delights. Indigenous villages like Otavalo in Northern Ecuador have the biggest festivals.
Hawaii’s Big Island: for petroglyphs, astronomy, and palm weaving
On the beach are traditional Hawaiian totems.
Hawaii’s big island.
The Big Island of Hawaii, the largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, is a breathtaking example of natural richness. The Big Island offers a multitude of diversity to discover, including eight distinct temperature zones, three active volcanoes, and the most captivating waterfalls and beaches in all hues.
Numerous significant cultural sites can also be found in this exceptional natural setting. After all, it was on this Hawaiian island where European explorers first set foot, Polynesian people came, and King Kamehameha the Great, the first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii, was born.
It is hardly surprising that Hawaiian culture is still very much alive on the Big Island, given its rich history. These activities let you learn more about the island’s history.
Top cultural attractions on Hawaii’s Big Island
Explore Pu’uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park on your own. The royal family and their soldiers used to reside at a location just south of Kailua-Kona. You can still see the fishponds, wooden sculptures, an old temple, and thatched homes because everything has been so beautifully preserved. However, this location served as more than just a royal retreat; Hawaiians who disobeyed the law or kapu faced execution. Arriving at this sanctuary—known as the Place of Refuge—was their only chance to avoid their doom. You can take a self-guided tour to see this fascinating location.