Croatia: Dalmatia's Coastal Isles
Score: 66

The appealing medieval towns, "splendid landscapes," unspoiled waters, and deeply rooted local traditions escaped ruin during the Balkan War. But mass-scale tourism, especially cruise ships, poses new challenges.

Here is a representative sampling of additional anonymous comments from the panelists. They are not necessarily the views of the National Geographic Society:

"High environmental and ecological quality. Coped very well with reconstruction after the recent conflict, although there are tangible signs of the conflict on a number of buildings. The reconstruction work at Dubrovnik is exemplary. Some of the tourism infrastructure is outdated (communist-era large hotels), but generally high-quality manmade and natural environment with huge potential."

"Well-maintained national parks and coastline. Over-touristed in the summer. Too many cruises and European car holidayers; visitors must get away from the coast for any cultural integrity. Nice selection of historic buildings. Development is out of control. There is an awareness of the importance of sustainability, but I fear the coast is already overwhelmed by money and crass commercialism, and the spillover to the interior threatens it, too."

"Character of each island varies, often from resort to resort. Some are overdeveloped, with large, self-contained resort complexes located some distance from the main local communities. On others, development is much more low key. Island of Mljet is an example of well-managed development, with a strong focus on informing and enthusing visitors about the quality of the local environment."

"Now in better condition after coming out of the old Yugoslavia. Some fine historic towns, such as Rab. Decent ferry service. All locals are keen to be Croatian now; the Yugoslav period is over and not recalled fondly. Splendid landscapes; stewardship seems secure."