五个最值得一游但被忽略的国家

BBC林赛·加洛韦（Lindsey Galloway）(2016年4月24日)

因斯布鲁克——奥地利的宝藏

每年到访世界各地的国际游客超过 5,000 万人，其中法国、美国和中国是最受游客欢迎的目的地。但埃菲尔铁塔、自由女神像和长城等热门景点是否让那些本应登上游客梦想清单中的其他目的地黯然失色呢？

我们带着这个问题：“哪个国家是最被低估的旅游目的地？”前往问答网站 Quora.com 一探究竟。从中世纪的非洲贸易小镇到地中海的岛国，网友们针对这些往往被旅游者忽略的边缘地点为什么值得一去各抒己见。

奥地利

来自纽约市的史蒂夫·埃斯蒂斯（Steve Estes）表示，奥地利这个中欧国家往往被其邻国的光环所遮盖，许多旅游者选择去捷克的布拉格或是德国南部的慕尼黑。

奥地利曾经是欧洲帝国的首都

他解释道，“美国人（还有某些欧洲人）忘记了100 年前的奥地利曾是欧洲帝国的伟大首都，与伦敦、巴黎和罗马等地比肩，但之后奥匈帝国的政治命运却不幸衰落。游客喜欢的大多数东西，比如巴黎有的东西，奥地利也一样有。”

奥地利有着精美绝伦的博物馆和艺术画廊，还有美泉宫（Schonbrunn）这样了不起的宫殿，通过维也纳安全卫生的地铁系统都可以方便抵达。埃斯蒂斯还表示：“奥地利有着世界上最棒的滑雪胜地，特别是因斯布鲁克，这座山城成为美国每个滑雪胜地的模仿对象，从科罗拉多州的韦尔到加州塔霍市莫不如此。”

莫桑比克

虽然很多非洲国家都能在游客想去的梦幻名单上榜上有名，但来自爱尔兰科克郡的迪尔德丽·比彻（Deirdre Beecher）却看好莫桑比克这个东南部非洲国家的多样性和发展潜力。

莫桑比克美丽的白色沙滩

她表示：“莫桑比克有着绝妙的白色沙滩，印度洋温暖的海水轻抚海岸。沿海的小岛堪与马尔代夫媲美，而且基本无人居住。”

游客在这里可以尽享各种乐趣：林波波河（Limpopo）河谷之旅，白坯（Tofo）海岸附近的冲浪和潜水，还有安纳塔拉巴扎鲁托岛（Bazaruto Archipelago）附近与鲸鲨和蝠鲼一起游泳嬉戏。莫桑比克殖民地时期的建筑或中世纪的贸易小镇蕴涵着莫桑比克的历史，如索法拉（Sofala）当年就有斯瓦希里人、阿拉伯人和波斯商人频频出入。

不丹

来自印度新德里的阿米特·辛哈（Amit Sinha）表示，不丹栖身于声名赫赫的中国、印度和尼泊尔三国交界，是一个非常值得一去的小国。他说，不丹位于喜马拉雅山东侧，“安静祥和”、“喜马拉雅山的壮观全景一览无余”，其中就包括包括冈嘎本孙峰”（Gangkhar Puensum），它是世界上最高的无人攀登山峰。

不丹首都廷布是世界上惟一没有红绿灯的首都

不丹还以全球最快乐的国度而闻名于世。实际上，不丹并不衡量标准经济指标国内生产总值（GDP），而是衡量国民幸福指数，它建立在可持续发展理念、环境和文化保护以及良好的治理基础之上。不丹首都廷布是世界上唯一没有红绿灯的首都。

不丹的确对游客有着严格的要求，不丹实施“高价值、低影响”（High value, Low impact）的旅游国策，游客必须持有签证，并通过一家不丹官方旅游运营商预订行程。对游客的旅游费用要求是每天 65 美元，这些收入将投入不丹的教育、卫生和基础建设。

马耳他

地中海岛国马耳他气候温暖、经济实惠、交通便利，比起游客更多的邻国意大利和希腊，这里是一个完美的选择。本地人会说英语、意大利语和马耳他语，因此母语是英语的游客在这里不会有任何沟通问题。

与意大利和希腊相比，马耳他是更为实惠的旅游目的地。

迪帕克·舒克拉（Deepak Shukla）曾经住在马耳他，现居伦敦，他表示，“马耳他有意大利的美食和葡萄酒，却没有意大利的官僚作风，而且这里还有露天餐馆和酒吧的文化，”他认为这样有助于欣赏一年四季的美景。

马耳他首都瓦莱塔的加尔默罗大教堂（Carmelite Church）的巨大穹顶和圣保罗大教堂（St.Paul's Anglican）的尖顶。

这里露天酒吧众多，气氛愉悦，价格实惠。本地人推荐游客点一种名为“pastizzi”的可口传统糕点，它通常以意大利乳清干酪为馅料，然后辅之以本地“Cisk”啤酒下肚。除了美食享受，马耳他还有巨石建造的寺庙，大约建于公元前 7000 年至公元前 5000 年，以其建筑之美和精湛的工艺而闻名，在当时资源有限的情况下更是难能可贵。

加拿大

美国凭借其标志性城市和著名的国家公园吸引了世界各地的游客，而其北方邻国加拿大的魅力却往往被人忽视。

加拿大广袤无垠的美丽自然景观

托马斯·怀特（Thomas White）表示，“许多人以为加拿大到处是冰屋和枫树糖浆，事实却远非如此。有些全球最棒的城市就在加拿大！”

这其中就包括温哥华，在这里的一天中，“您既能滑雪还能冲浪”；还有多伦多，它是北美发展最快的城市之一；以及魁北克市，它有着“欧洲以外地区最好的欧式建筑。”怀特断言，与世界上某些最好的城市相比，加拿大的文化中心蒙特利尔也毫不逊色。

加拿大国家公园远非美国的国家公园一般拥挤

除了富有活力的城市，加拿大广袤无垠的自然景观还为游客提供了大好的探索机会，其国家公园远非美国的国家公园那么拥挤。在安大略中部地区的阿冈昆公园（Algonquin Park），游客往往能听到狼嚎，而在沿海的格罗莫讷（Gros Morne）国家公园和纽芬兰岛的特拉诺华（Terra Nova）国家公园，清煮鲜龙虾是最受游客欢迎的节目。

（责编：友义）

Five underrated countries you need to visit

By Lindsey Galloway,24 April 2024

With each welcoming more than 50 million international visitors each year, France, the United States and China dominate the list of most popular countries for travellers. But are the Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty and Great Wall overshadowing other destinations that should be on travellers’ bucket lists?

We turned to question-and-answer community Quora.com to find out, asking “Which country is the most underrated?” From a medieval African trading town to a Mediterranean island nation, readers weighed in on why these overlooked outposts are worth a look.

Austria
This central European country often gets passed up in favour of its neighbours — including Prague in the Czech Republic or Munich in southern Germany — said Steve Estes from New York City.

“What Americans (and some Europeans) forget about Austria is that 100 years ago, it was a great Imperial capital of Europe, on par with London, Paris, Rome... and then the political fortunes of the Austro-Hungarian Empire faded,” he explained. “So most everything that people love about, say, Paris, goes just as well for Austria.”

That means incredible museums and art galleries and impressive palaces like the Schonbrunn are all accessible via the safe and clean Vienna subway system. The ski towns are also some of the best in the world, Estes added, especially Innsbruck: “a city by the mountains that every [US] ski town from Vail to Stowe to Tahoe tries to copy”.

Mozambique
While plenty of African countries could be on this list, Deirdre Beecher of Cork, Ireland honed in on this southeastern nation for its diversity and potential.

“Mozambique has stunning white sandy beaches that are lapped by the warm waters of the Indian Ocean,” she said. “There are islands off the coast that rival anything the Maldives have to offer and are largely uninhabited.”

Visitors can enjoy many aspects of the landscape: a safari on the Limpopo River valley, surfing and reef diving off the coast of Tofo, or swimming with whale sharks and manta rays near the Bazaruto Archipelago. The country’s history can be appreciated in Mozambique’s colonial architecture or in medieval trading towns, such as Sofala, which were frequented by Swahili, Arab and Persian traders.

Bhutan
Nestled between better-known neighbours China, India and Nepal, Bhutan is a small country that is well worth a visit, said Amit Sinha of New Delhi. Located on the eastern side of the Himalayas, the country is “peaceful” and “full of panoramic views”, he said, including views of Gangkhar Puensum, the tallest unclimbed mountain in the world. 

The country is also known as one of the world’s happiest. In fact, instead of measuring output in standard economic GDP, the country measures GNH (Gross National Happiness), based on sustainable development, environmental protection, cultural preservation and good governance. Its capital, Thimphu, is one of the world's only capital cities without traffic lights.

Bhutan does have strict tourist requirements as part of an official “High Value, Low Impact” tourism policy, and visitors must have a visa and book their stay through an official Bhutanese tour operator. A daily tourism fee of $65 is also required, and goes toward the country’s education, healthcare and infrastructure.

Malta
The Mediterranean island nation of Malta is warm, cheap and accessible, making it a perfect alternative to more-visited neighbours like Italy and Greece. Locals speak English as well as Italian and Maltese, so Anglophones won’t have any problem communicating.

“It has Italian food and wine without the Italian bureaucracy,” said Deepak Shukla, who lived in Malta and now resides in London. “There is also a culture of eating and drinking outside,” he added — all the better to appreciate the beautiful year-round weather.

Happily, outdoor libations are plentiful and cheap. Locals recommend ordering the pastizzi, a traditional savoury pastry, usually filled with ricotta, washed down with local Cisk beer. Beyond culinary pursuits, the island’s megalithic temples -– built between 5000 and 7000BC – are renowned for their architectural beauty and skill, given the limited resources available at the time they were constructed.

Canada
While the United States attracts tourists for its iconic cities and famous national parks, its northern neighbour’s charms often go overlooked.

“Many people believe Canada is full of igloos and maple syrup, but that couldn't be farther from the truth,” said Thomas White. “Some of the best cities in the world are in Canada!”

That includes Vancouver, where “you can snowboard and surf in one day”, Toronto, one of North America’s fastest growing cities, and Quebec City, “one of the best examples of European architecture outside of Europe”. And Canada’s cultural hub, Montreal, rivals some of the best cities in the world, White affirmed.

Beyond its vibrant cities, Canada’s vast landscape offers plenty of opportunity for exploring, with its national parks often less crowded than those of its neighbour to the south. In Algonquin Park in Central Ontario, visitors often hear wolf howls, while lobster boils are a favourite activity in the coastal national parks of Gros Morne and Terra Nova in Newfoundland.