Barbados, uae sites added to world heritage list

The United Nations World Heritage committee has recognised the historical value of both Barbados' capital, Bridgetown, and the Emirate city of Al Ain, and included them on the world-renowned UNESCO World Heritage List, which should see a significant rise in tourism to these areas.

In its 35th session at UNESCO's Paris headquarters, the World Heritage Committee said that while Al Ain, which lies equidistant from Abu Dhabi and Dubai, was significant for its evidence of prehistoric settlement in the Middle East, the Barbadian capital of Bridgetown should be recognised for its outstanding example of British colonial architecture.

"With its serpentine layout, [Bridgetown] testifies to a different approach to colonial town planning compared to the Spanish and Dutch colonial cities of the region, which were built along a grid plan", UNESCO said in a press statement. Other attractions to be added to the revised World Heritage list included the temples of Hiraizumi in Japan, the 40 ancient villages of northern Syria and the landscape of Serra de Tramuntana on the Spanish island of Mallorca.

Whilst both Barbados and the UAE have long been popular as a destination for luxury and commercial development, the inclusion of attractions within this country for their natural and historical significance should see their respective tourism markets being opened up to a wider audience. Buy-to-let investors and property owners in both destinations can therefore expect to see their values increase in the near future.