UN Tourism has announced the winners of its fifth annual Best Tourism Villages awards, recognising 52 exceptional rural destinations from around the world for their innovation, sustainability, and cultural preservation efforts. The announcement was made during a special ceremony in Huzhou City, China.In this fifth edition, 52 villages across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East received the prestigious recognition, selected from over 270 applications submitted by 65 UN Tourism Member States. Another 20 villages joined the Upgrade Programme, bringing the total of new members in the Best Tourism Villages (BTV) Network to 72. With this, the BTV Network has now expanded to 319 villages, making it the world’s largest community of rural tourism destinations.UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said, “Tourism can be a powerful tool to progress shared prosperity, inclusive growth and territorial cohesion in rural areas. Our Best Tourism Villages 2025 highlight communities that are working to safeguard their cultural heritage, preserve their natural resources and create economic opportunities through tourism.”
About the initiative
Launched in 2021 under the UN Tourism for Rural Development Programme, the Best Tourism Villages initiative aims to promote rural destinations that value their landscapes, biodiversity, and cultural heritage while creating sustainable livelihoods through tourism.Villages are evaluated under nine categories, which are, cultural and natural resources, economic stability, promotion and conservation of cultural resources, environmental sustainability, social sustainability, infrastructure and connectivity, tourism development and value chain integration, governance and prioritization of tourism, Health, safety, and security.Read more: Karnataka’s luxury train, The Golden Chariot, is set to add Mumbai and Aurangabad to its route; a peak inside the iconic trainThe initiative consists of three key components:Best Tourism Villages by UN Tourism – recognising outstanding rural tourism destinations.Best Tourism Villages Upgrade Programme – supporting promising villages on their journey to meet the recognition criteria.Best Tourism Villages Network – a platform for sharing best practices and expertise globally.
The 52 Best Tourism Villages by UN Tourism 2025
Agaete (Spain)Akyaka (Türkiye)Aldea San Cristóbal El Alto (Guatemala)Anıtlı (Türkiye)Antônio Prado (Brazil)Arquà Petrarca (Italy)Asolo (Italy)Asuka (Japan)Barbaros (Türkiye)Bellano (Italy)Bled (Slovenia)Carlos Pellegrini (Argentina)Chamarel (Mauritius)Digang (China)Dongluo (China)Ezcaray (Spain)Flößerstadt Schiltach (Germany)Grand River South East (Mauritius)Hosszúhetény (Hungary)Huanggang (China)Jikayi (China)Kale Üçağız (Türkiye)Kandelous (Iran)Kaštelir Labinci (Croatia)Khinalig (Azerbaijan)Kolochava (Ukraine)Koyasan (Japan)Krupa na Vrbasu (Bosnia Herzegovina)Loriga (Portugal)Lô Lô Chải (Viet Nam)Maimará (Argentina)Marktgemeinde Bad Hindelang (Germany)Masfout (United Arab Emirates)Mértola (Portugal)Mórahalom (Hungary)Muju Village (Republic of Korea)Murillo (Colombia)Neot Semadar (Israel)North Azraq (Jordan)Pacto (Ecuador)Pemuteran (Indonesia)Plateliai (Lithuania)Pont-Croix (France)Quynh Son Community-based Tourism Village (Viet Nam)Shafiabad (Iran)Shodoshima (Japan)Soheili (Iran)Synevyrska Polyana (Ukraine)Tonosho (Japan)Valendas (Switzerland)Vila Nogueira de Azeitão (Portugal)Yangsuri (Republic of Korea)
Villages selected for the 2025 upgrade programme
Al-Bashandi Village (Egypt)Brihuega (Spain)Comuna Chiguilpe de la Nacionalidad Tsa’chila (Ecuador)Dawa Village (China)Evolène (Switzerland)Iraq Al-Amir (Jordan)Kemiren (Indonesia)Lolol (Chile)Meisenheim (Germany)Montagnana (Italy)Nari Village (Republic of Korea)Nopala de Villagrán (Mexico)Omonxona (Uzbekistan)Oosterend (Netherlands)Orduña (Spain)Parroquia Biblián (Ecuador)Quintandona (Portugal)San Javier y Yacanto (Argentina)San Martín de Unx (Spain)Sant’Andrea di Conza (Italy)Read more: Kolkata Metro launches upgraded ‘Aamar Kolkata Metro’ app with digital ticketing and route info
India’s missed opportunity
Despite India’s vast rural heritage and growing focus on community-based tourism, no Indian village made it to the 2025 list. So far, only Pochampalli in Telangana (2021) and Dhordo in Gujarat (2023) have been recognised in previous editions.The next call for submissions will open in the first quarter of 2026, offering rural destinations another opportunity to showcase their initiatives and compete for global recognition under the UN Tourism banner.
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