In this article, we are going to discuss the countries with the most beautiful forests in the world. If you’re also enthusiastic about heritage or cultural tourism, here is our list of the 15 Countries with the Most Beautiful Culture in the World.
There’s simply no better place to take a break and let go of everyday stress than out in nature. Being surrounded by a forest’s intricate tapestry of life can help us relax and remind us to pay attention and be in the moment. The scent of fresh air in the woods, the soothing colors of the leaves, and the singing sounds of the birds, all combine to create a serene and captivating environment, enough to reinvigorate even the weariest of souls.
The Global Tourism Industry:
Tourism has evolved into a massive industry with time, encompassing several other sectors, such as hospitality, transport, entertainment etc. In 1950, at the dawn of the jet age, just 25 million people took foreign trips, and by 2019, that number had reached a mammoth 1.5 billion. As we mentioned in our article – 15 States With the Most Beautiful Beaches in the US – the global Travel & Tourism (T&T) industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.1% between 2021 and 2026, to be worth an estimated $8.9 trillion by the end of the forecast period.
The World Tourism and Travel Council has reported that the T&T sector contributed 9.1% to the global GDP in 2023, an increase of 23.2% from 2022 and only 1.4% below the pre-pandemic levels of 2019.
Preserving the World’s Forests:
Conserving and restoring forests not only helps in mitigating climate change and preventing biodiversity loss but also provides livelihoods to millions of people around the globe. A report by the World Economic Forum has revealed that more than half of our annual global GDP, or $44 trillion, is potentially threatened by nature less. As a result, several governments and organizations are now working together to safeguard the world’s forests and ensure a greener future for our coming generations.
1t.org is the trillion trees platform of the WEF, serving as the global movement to conserve, restore, and grow a trillion trees by 2030. It was announced earlier this year that the worldwide initiative has already achieved 12 billion trees pledged in over 100 countries by the private sector to support livelihoods and ecosystem restoration. Among the 27 companies that shared the financial spending associated with their pledge, investment in conservation, restoration, and supporting activities exceeded $130 million.
Similarly, earlier this year, the Mark Cuban-backed climate startup dClimate also inked a preliminary deal with the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to generate $1 billion in carbon credits. The initiative aims to combat deforestation in a significant portion of the Congo Basin, the second-largest tropical rainforest in the world, estimated to capture 822 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually. Under the program, dClimate will compensate the Central African country for safeguarding 500,000 hectares of peatlands, preventing the release of approximately 100 million tonnes of carbon dioxide over the next decade.
The Need for Sustainable Tourism:
Sustainable tourism can be defined as a kind of tourism that has more positive than negative impacts, especially relating to the environment, the economy, and communities. The popularity of beaches/forests/mountains etc as ideal getaways leads to overflowing masses of tourists every year, putting these unique yet fragile environments at risk.
Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) is among the most recognizable names in the hospitality industry. The Virginia-based company manages and franchises a broad portfolio of the best beach resorts and eco-hotels, steps away from some of the most picturesque natural environments in the world. Hilton’s global Travel with Purpose strategy aims to reduce the operational environmental footprint of the group’s hotels worldwide, enabling guests to travel more sustainably and paving the way towards a net-zero future for the hospitality industry. From preserving mangroves in Curaçao to restoring the United Kingdom’s woodland areas through exceptional conservation, ecotourism is already the way of the future for Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT).
Hilton Worldwide plans to open 24 new hotels globally in 2024, including company debuts in Asia-Pacific and Europe, and brand debuts in the United States, the company announced in November 2023. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) ranks among the Most Valuable Hotel Companies in the World.
Similarly, Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) has also embarked on a comprehensive sustainability and social impact initiative to reduce the impact of its operations on the environment and equip its hotels with products, services, and operations that conserve resources and minimize waste. The Maryland-based company aims to achieve sustainability certification for 100% of its hotels and green building certifications for 650 properties by 2025. Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) is also seeking to redefine the nature of travel so holidays become synonymous with social impact, and so the company has piloted a program across its Asia Pacific locations that enables visitors to contribute to environmental protection and marine conservation. Launched in early 2021, Good Travel with Marriott Bonvoy is a program that offers meaningful travel, allowing tourists the opportunity to create a positive impact as they explore and build deeper connections in local communities.
Shares of MAR were held by 58 hedge funds at the end of Q1 2024 in the Insider Monkey database, with a collective stake value of over $2.27 billion. Fundsmith LLP held the largest stake of around 4.3 million shares, valued at $1.1 billion.
Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) is placed among the Largest Travel Companies in the World.
With that said, here are the Countries that Have the Most Beautiful Forests.
Julia Ivantsova/Shutterstock.com
Methodology:
To collect data for this article, we have referred to sources such as Travel + Leisure, Forbes, Condé Nast Traveler, Reddit etc., looking for the Countries with the Most Charming Forests. To make sure we give you only the best, we picked countries that appeared multiple times in the aforementioned sources, assigned them a score of 1 each time they were recommended on these websites, and then summed up the scores and ranked our list accordingly. When two or more countries had the same score, we ranked them by the number of foreign tourists they received in 2022 instead.
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16. Poland
Insider Monkey Score: 4
Next up on our list of countries with the most enchanted forests in the world is Poland, a land packed with natural beauty, most of which lies in the 23 protected national parks covering an area of around 300,000 hectares. The Białowieża Forest, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a Biosphere Reserve is the last remaining primeval forest in Europe and an oasis of biodiversity. It is also home to the largest bison population on the continent.
15. Indonesia
Insider Monkey Score: 4
Indonesia’s forests are a treasure chest of unimaginable beauty, as the country features one of the Largest Rainforests in the World, as well as the biggest tropical peatlands and mangrove forests. Despite covering just a fraction of the planet’s land area, Indonesia’s forests are home to about 10% of the world’s known plant species, 12% of mammal species (including some endangered beauties), and around 17% of all bird species known to man.
14. Russia
Insider Monkey Score: 4
Being the Largest Country in the World, Russia is home to vast stretches of woodlands, ranging from dense evergreen forests to alpine meadows. Siberia, which covers most of the country’s land area, is dominated by sprawling pine forests called taigas.
Russia is the most heavily forested country in the world, with 815 million hectares of it covered in forests.
13. Canada
Insider Monkey Score: 4
There are 367 million hectares of forests across Canada – 15 times the size of all the Great Lakes put together. Home to the elusive Spirit Bear and countless other land and marine animals, the country’s Great Bear Rainforest is the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world.
In 2019, Canada announced an investment of around $129 million to fund 67 conservation initiatives aimed at protecting its marvelous landscapes, including its forests.
12. The Democratic Republic of Congo
Insider Monkey Score: 5
A country very rich in natural resources, DRC also hosts around 60% of the Congo Basin – the second-largest rainforest biome in the world, serving as the lungs of Africa. The area is known for its vast variety of biodiversity, including more than 10,000 animal species. The country’s forests are estimated to capture 822 million tonnes of carbon emissions every year.
11. Uganda
Insider Monkey Score: 5
Aptly named ‘The Pearl of Africa’ by Winston Churchill, Uganda is a country blessed by Mother Nature. For many, it is even considered one of the Greenest Countries in the World, thanks to its range of tropical rainforests and plantations.
Forestry and Tourism are important pillars of the Ugandan economy, contributing shares of 6% and 9% to the GDP respectively.
10. Belgium
Insider Monkey Score: 5
Belgium is quite the crowd-pleaser when it comes to natural beauty, yet it is not overspilling with tourists like its more glamorous neighbors. Just outside the drab capital city of Brussels, the country’s Hallerbo forest is world-renowned for its fairytale valleys of wild bluebell carpets, rightfully earning it the reputation of one of the Most Beautiful Forests in Europe.
9. United Kingdom
Insider Monkey Score: 6
Teeming with an abundance of spectacular flora and fauna, woodlands and forests cover just over one-eighth of the total land area in the UK. From Glen Affric in Scotland to the New Forest in England, the quirky island is no stranger to charming wooded landscapes.
In 2021, the UK government launched a $190 million fund to help protect 2.1 million hectares of rainforest from deforestation, helping remove 28 million tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
8. China
Insider Monkey Score: 6
Brimming with stunning sceneries and breathtaking views, China is truly a land of wonders ready to amaze and inspire travelers from around the globe. Spanning an area of over 400 square kilometers, the tropical rainforest of Jianfeng Mountain is one of the most majestic and
best-preserved tropical rainforests in the country.
Since the late 1990s, China has planted more than 4 million hectares of forest every year.
7. New Zealand
Insider Monkey Score: 7
Spanning over 10 million hectares, New Zealand’s lush forests are majestic places of peace and quiet beauty. The country’s Egmont National Park, otherwise known as the Goblin Forest, is famous for its almost otherworldly vegetation. Its gnarled Kamahi trees are covered in thick mosses and lichens, enhancing the greenery of the forest.
Employing almost 40,000 people, New Zealand’s forestry industry is a great source of foreign exchange for the country, exporting $6.64 billion of products in the year ending June 2022.
6. Germany
Insider Monkey Score: 8
Germany’s legendary forests have been written about in a great many fairy tales and operas, and of course, one cannot talk about the most beautiful forests in Germany without mentioning the mystical and gorgeous Black Forest. Ideal for walking, cycling, or just enjoying the panoramic marvels of nature, the forest gets its name from the oppressive canopy of trees looming above its floor.
Germany ranks 6th in our list of Countries with the Most Magical Forests in the World.
5. Costa Rica
Insider Monkey Score: 10
This small country in the heart of Central America attracts travelers from every corner of the world, thanks to its extraordinary biodiversity and stunning landscapes. Brimming with a diverse range of flora and fauna, Costa Rica is home to six different kinds of rainforests, including tropical, tropical dry, and mesmerizing cloud forests.
Costa Rica made headlines recently for becoming the first tropical country to not have only stopped, but reversed deforestation. In 2022, it also became the first Latin American country to receive a payment from the World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility for reducing carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.
Thanks to its utterly unique sceneries, Costa Rica unsurprisingly sits among the Countries with the Most Beautiful Nature in the World.
