After more than 20 years of lobbying, the Normandy beaches where Allied forces landed on June 6th, 1944 are closer than ever to UNESCO recognition.
Following in the footsteps of Mont-Saint-Michel, Le Havre and the Vauban towers at Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, Normandy's D-Day beaches could become France's latest UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The UNESCO World Heritage Committee is due to decide on the application at its meeting in Busan, South Korea, with a vote expected between July 25th and 27th 2026. While the outcome is not yet certain, a recent recommendation in favour of the bid from the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) has significantly boosted its chances.
The application, first launched more than two decades ago, has faced a long and sometimes difficult path to the final stage.
Overtourism fears
