UNWTO Announces List of Best Tourism Villages for 2023

Photo source: UNWTO.

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has recently unveiled the list of its Best Tourism Villages for the year 2023.

These accolades recognize the outstanding efforts of villages worldwide in nurturing rural landscapes, preserving cultural diversity, upholding local values, and safeguarding culinary traditions.

In this third edition, 54 villages have been selected from nearly 260 applications, with an additional 20 villages joining the Upgrade Programme. The combined 74 villages now form the UNWTO Best Tourism Villages Network. These designations were announced during the UNWTO General Assembly held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Photo source: UNWTO.

“Tourism can be a powerful force for inclusivity, empowering local communities and distributing benefits across regions. This initiative acknowledges villages that have harnessed tourism as a catalyst for their development and well-being,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili.

Villages across the world that participated in the competition were assessed in nine critical areas including cultural and natural resources; economic, social and environmental sustainability and tourism development and value chain integration, among others.

With the addition of its 74 new members, UNWTO’s Best Tourism Villages Network is now the world’s largest global rural network, with a total of 190 villages – members.

Photo source: UNWTO.

Peru boasts the most best tourism villages on the list with five, followed by countries like Japan, Korea, Portugal, Mexico, China and Spain with three or four entries each.

Furthermore, Indonesia has three of its villages included in the upgrade program list with Peru, Türkiye and Italy following with two entries each.

Launched in 2021, the Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO initiative is a vital component of the UNWTO Tourism for Rural Development Programme. This program aims to foster development and inclusion in rural areas, combat depopulation, encourage innovation and value chain integration through tourism, and promote sustainable practices.

The call for submissions for the fourth edition will take place in the first months of 2024, providing new opportunities for rural destinations to shine on the global stage.