National Geographic rates best and worst

Norway's fjords and three places in Spain were among World Heritage sites that received top ratings from National Geographic Traveler magazine, while sinking Venice, Belize's Barrier Reef and the Galapagos were rated "worst" because they are at risk from a variety of pressures.

The magazine's November-December issue had 94 World Heritage sites evaluated by experts in ecology, sustainable tourism, preservation and other fields, to determine which sites were at risk from development or environmental pressures and which ones were being preserved and promoted appropriately.

The magazine's "best-rated" World Heritage sites were Norway's West Fjords, followed by Vezelay in France, which is known for its abbey and medieval architecture; Mexico's Guanajuato, which dates to the 16th century; and Alhambra, Granada and Cordoba in Spain.

The magazine rated Salzburg, Austria; Old Quebec City, Canada; Siena, Italy; the historic center of Bruges, Belgium; and Kyoto, Japan, as "destinations doing well."

In a "so-so" category, the magazine put South Africa's Cape Floral Region; Florence, Italy; St. Petersburg, Russia; historic Prague, Czech Republic; and Australia's famed Great Barrier Reef.

"Destinations in trouble" were identified as Stonehenge, England; China's Great Wall; Machu Picchu, Peru; Acropolis, Greece; Egypt's pyramids; and Ha Long Bay, Vietnam.

AAA honors two area businesses

Two Seattle-area establishments have achieved one of the hospitality industry's highest ratings, the AAA Five Diamond Award.

The Fairmont Olympic Hotel in downtown Seattle has received a AAA Five Diamond Award for the 23rd consecutive year, and Woodinville's Herbfarm Restaurant for the fifth consecutive year.

The additions will be listed in the automobile association's 2007 TourBook guides and on www.AAA.com. They bring the total number of properties awarded five diamonds by AAA to 93 hotels and 58 restaurants. AAA inspectors rate nearly 60,000 properties in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.

Hunting of whales resumes despite protests

Iceland has a thriving whale-watching industry, but the government recently decided to ignore a global moratorium on killing whales. After a 20-year hiatus, the hunt resumed last month as an Icelandic whale hunter shot exploding harpoons into a fin whale.

"We think these two industries can go very well together," said Olafur Sigurdsson, a minister at the Embassy of Iceland in Washington. "These activities take place in different areas and shouldn't disrupt each other."

But the environmental group Greenpeace is hoping to convince Icelandic officials that saving whales is more profitable than killing them. The group in recent days has signed up almost 90,000 people worldwide who say they will "seriously consider taking a vacation in Iceland" if the country gives up whaling. Those who sign agree that their names and contact information will be given to tourism officials if the killing is banned.

Two other nations, Japan and Norway, have been targeted by Greenpeace for killing whales. Greenpeace in those cases continues protesting, lobbies for economic sanctions and tries to disrupt hunts by operating small boats alongside whaling ships. Details: www.oceans.greenpeace.org/en.

Canada

Neighbor-to-the-north domestic no-fly list

Canada plans to create a no-fly list for domestic airline passengers "early" next year, to guard against terrorism.

The list will be expanded to international flights later in 2007. Canadian passengers flying to the U.S. are already screened against a U.S. list.

Airlines such as Air Canada and WestJet Airlines Ltd. will access the list through "a secure online system," and contact the federal transportation department for a final decision on whether to let a passenger on the list board a flight.

Canada is also proposing a rule requiring passengers to show government-issued identification that includes their name, date of birth and gender, the statement said. The public has 75 days to comment on the draft regulations.