Greek Village Soufli Partners with UN Tourism to Promote Women’s Empowerment

Women from Soufli working with traditional embroidery.

The Municipality of Soufli in northern Greece has teamed up with UN Tourism (formerly the World Tourism Organization) to support and promote women’s empowerment through tourism.

The action comes as part of the “Best Tourism Villages” initiative, aimed at advancing the role of tourism in safeguarding rural villages, along with their landscapes, natural and cultural diversity, and their local values and activities. The Greek village of Soufli was selected by UN Tourism as one of the“Best Tourism Villages” in 2021.

In this direction, the municipal authority announced that it would be introducing actions that are aimed at women travelers. A first step is the release of a video titled “Celebrating Women: Best Tourism Villages Narratives” shared by the UN Tourism on its social networks. The video casts the spotlight on the women of Soufli and their contribution to the region.

Since 2021, named as Best Tourism Village, Soufli has entered a very close collaboration with UN Tourism marking a new era for the tourism development of the region, the municipality said, adding that the goal is now to tap into the local female dynamic as part of efforts to boost the local economy.

Soufli is the only Greek region among 130 regions across the globe to join the Best Tourism Villages network and to be awarded the use of the “Best Tourism Villages” label.

UN Tourism’s “Best Tourism Villages” project aims to identify villages of member states that take innovative and transformative approaches to tourism in rural areas in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).