Switzerland, israel top adventure tourism ranking

Switzerland has topped an annual ranking of adventure tourism destinations by the Adventure Travel Trade Association - but if you're looking for something a little less traditional, Israel or the Slovak Republic could be the best bets.

The 3rd annual Adventure Travel Development Index (ADTI) ranked 195 countries, giving a score to each one signifying its potential for adventure tourism based on ten factors including infrastructure, safety, sustainability policies, natural resources and adventure activity resources.

Among the developed countries, Switzerland, known for decades as one of the world's top winter sports destinations, overtook Iceland to reclaim the top spot it held in 2008, with Iceland dropping from first to second place.

In a considerable shake-up of the top ten destinations, New Zealand earned third place, Canada fourth and Germany fifth, while the United Kingdom, Australia, Luxembourg, Denmark and Spain dropped out altogether.

Source: The Independent