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    UN Tourism selects 52 Best Tourism Villages 2025

    October 23, 2025
    top news world
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    UN Tourism selects 52 Best Tourism Villages 2025

    Travel Biz News —

    UN Tourism announced 52 Best Tourism Villages this year during a special ceremony in Huzhou City, China. In this fifth edition, 52 villages from all regions – Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Middle East – received the recognition, selected from over 270 applications from 65 UN Tourism Member States.

    Another 20 villages have joined the Upgrade Programme, with all 72 villages joining the Best Tourism Villages (BTV) Network. The BTV Network grows every year, and with the announcement of its 72 new members, 319 villages are now part of the largest community of rural destinations in the world.

    UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili says: “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. These villages show that by embracing tourism, they can promote social inclusion and build a future where no one is left behind.”

    The Best Tourism Villages by UN Tourism initiative launched in 2021, under the UN Tourism for Rural Development Programme, accelerates the role of tourism in rural development by valuing and safeguarding rural areas along with their associated landscapes, knowledge systems, biological diversity and cultural heritage ,according to a release issued by UN Tourism this week.

    Candidate villages are assessed by an independent Advisory Board under nine areas of evaluation: 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 , and Health, Safety, and Security.

     The list of the 52 Best Tourism Villages by UN Tourism 2025 is as follows (in alphabetical order by village):

    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, Turkiye

    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

    Additionally, 20 villages have been selected to participate in the Upgrade Programme this year:

    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

    The call for submissions for the sixth edition will take place in the first quarter of 2026, opening a new opportunity for rural destinations to share their inspiring initiatives and get global recognition as tourism for rural development champions.

    23 October 2025 Photo : UN Tourism

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      👉Reducing Inequalities

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      👉Fostering decent work and economic growth

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      In 2019, Travel & Tourism’s direct, indirect and induced impact accounted for:
      -US$8.9 trillion contribution to the world’s GDP
      -10.3% of global GDP
      -330 million jobs, 1 in 10 jobs around the world
      -US$1.7 trillion visitor exports (6.8% of total exports,
      28.3% of global services exports)
      -US$948 billion capital investment (4.3% of total
      investment)

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