UN Tourism Best Villages Competition
UN Tourism has launched applications for the 2025 Best Tourism Villages initiative. This effort reflects a sustained dedication to promoting rural tourism as a sustainable development and inclusivity driver while honouring the diverse cultural and natural heritage, community values, and sustainable practices that distinguish these destinations.
Since its inception in 2021, the initiative has gained global recognition. In the past four editions, UN Tourism has received over 800 applications from over 100 countries. Currently, the UN Tourism Best Tourism Villages Network consists of 254 members worldwide: more than 180 villages are recognized as Best Tourism Villages, and 70 participate in the Upgrade Programme, representing nearly 60 countries across five world regions.
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UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili says: “The Best Tourism Villages by UN Tourism celebrates rural destinations where tourism catalyzes opportunity, cultural preservation, and sustainable growth. By harnessing their unique assets, these villages create opportunities for economic growth, safeguard local traditions, and promote a better quality of life for their communities. We are eager to welcome those villages that represent the role of rural tourism as a transformative force for good.”
Best Tourism Villages 2025 – Applications Open
Member States of UN Tourism are encouraged to propose up to eight candidate villages through their National Tourism Administrations (NTAs). The submission deadline is May 19, 2025. The villages selected as the Best Tourism Villages of 2025 will be announced at a UN Tourism event during the year’s third quarter.
An external Advisory Board comprising global experts will evaluate applications based on nine key areas:
- Cultural and Natural Resources
- Promotion and Conservation of Cultural Resources
- Economic Sustainability
- Social Sustainability
- Environmental Sustainability
- Tourism Development and Value Chain Integration
- Governance and Prioritization of Tourism
- Infrastructure and Connectivity
- Health, Safety, and Security
Advancing Rural Development through Tourism
The Best Tourism Villages by UN Tourism initiative aims to leverage tourism for rural development, well-being, and resilience. By combining efforts to value and preserve rural landscapes, cultural diversity, and knowledge systems, the initiative advances innovative tourism strategies aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The initiative comprises three integral components:
- Recognition as Best Tourism Villages: The recognition highlights rural tourism destinations that excel in preserving cultural and natural heritage, community-based values, and sustainability practices. The evaluation is based on their performance across nine areas spanning economic, social, and environmental dimensions.
- The Upgrade Programme: Provides targeted support to villages that do not fully meet recognition criteria. These villages benefit from tailored guidance to bridge gaps and enhance their offerings.
- The Best Tourism Villages Network: Serves as a platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration among recognized villages and those in the Upgrade Programme. The Network organizes capacity-building initiatives to foster connections across sectors.
The initiative is part of the UN Tourism’s Tourism for Rural Development Programme.
