Mozambique: North Coast, Cabo Delgado to Quirimbas

Score: 69

This stretch of Indian Ocean coastline remains relatively pristine. It has enjoyed increased popularity among eco-tourists in recent years. Thankfully, development has thus far been "adequately managed," and local residents appear to benefit economically from the tourism industry.

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

"So far so good. Tourism development is benefiting from a slow economy, a guiding hand from the World Wildlife Fund and a lack of infrastructure. Still pretty inaccessible. Needs careful stewardship if it wants to develop sustainably."

"Quirimbas archipelago is a jewel and will remain so for a while. Unfortunately, one of the main islands, Ibo already has many foreign buyers. If this trend is not well monitored, the island could turn into another Shela, a place where most of the property owners are foreigners."

"Visited Medjumbe Island north of Pemba. Its remoteness and small size means that relatively few tourists visit. Because all supplies, including drinking water and energy resources, have to be transported in, there may be issues surrounding waste management if the volume of tourists increases. Few local fishermen visit this area, however there is a potential threat of overfishing from foreign fishermen, especially those from neighbouring Tanzania."

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