UNESCO World Heritage Committee 2026 decided!
The 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee took place in Busan, Republic of Korea, from 19 to 29 July 2026, bringing together representatives from 21 States Parties to decide which places deserve recognition as part of humanity's shared heritage.
The World Heritage Committee is one of the governing bodies of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. Meeting once a year, the Committee is responsible for evaluating new nominations to the UNESCO World Heritage List and monitoring the conservation status of sites that have already been inscribed.
Following this year's session, 25 new sites were added to the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List, which now includes 1,273 properties of Outstanding Universal Value across 173 countries. These comprise 991 cultural sites, 240 natural sites, and 42 mixed sites, while 196 States Parties have ratified the World Heritage Convention (as of October 2024).
This year's inscriptions celebrate an extraordinary range of cultural landmarks and natural wonders from around the world:
- Aalto Works (Finland)
- Alamūt Castle and Related Fortifications (Iran)
- Amazonia Theaters (Brazil)
- Ancient Buddhist Site of Sarnath (India)
- Ancient Capitals of Asuka and Fujiwara (Japan)
- Beaches of the D-Day Landings, Normandy, 1944 (France)
- Gdynia Modernist City Centre (Poland)
- Jingdezhen Handicraft Porcelain Industry Sites (China)
- Mount Amel Castles (Lebanon)
- Rock Mosques and Associated Sacred Sites of Mangystau (Kazakhstan)
- Royal Capetian Fortresses of Languedoc (France)
- Sebastia (State of Palestine)
- Tashkent Modernist Architecture: Modernity and Tradition in Central Asia (Uzbekistan)
- The Cemetery Complexes of the Xiongnu Nobility (Mongolia)
- The Medinas of the Historic Sultanates of the Comoros (Comoros)
- The Roças of São Tomé and Príncipe: Colonial Agricultural System and Forced Migration (São Tomé and Príncipe)
- The System of Italian-style Condominio Theatres of the 18th and 19th Centuries in Central Italy (Italy)
- Village of Sidi Bou Saïd (Tunisia)
- Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan, Nakhon Si Thammarat (Thailand)
- Aqaba Marine Reserve (Jordan)
- Boma–Badingilo Migratory Landscape (South Sudan)
- Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge (United States)
- The Bony Fish Fossils of the Western Limfjord – Evolution and Climate Adaptation in the Earliest Eocene (Denmark)
- Wadi Wurayah (United Arab Emirates)
- The Wider Area of Mount Olympus (Greece)
With ancient cities, archaeological sites, breathtaking landscapes, and remarkable architectural landmarks joining the list, the 2026 inscriptions offer plenty of inspiration for future travels.
How many of these 25 new UNESCO World Heritage Sites have you already visited? Unlock your travel list.