UN Tourism opens calls for Best Tourism Villages 2024

The United Nations Tourism organisation has officially launched the application process for the 2024 iteration of its esteemed Best Tourism Villages initiative. 
In the preceding three editions, UN Tourism, formerly known as the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), garnered an impressive volume of nearly 600 applications from participants representing close to 100 countries.
‘Best Tourism Villages by UN Tourism’ recognises those rural destinations where tourism is being effectively embraced as an opportunity or as a tool for sustainable growth or for preserving unique cultural and natural heritage. For the 2024 edition, we look forward to seeing more examples of tourism as a force for good, UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said.  UN Tourism Member States are invited to submit up to eight candidate villages through their National Tourism Administrations (NTAs). Applications are open until April 24, 2024, with the selected villages announced in the third quarter of the year. 

An external independent Advisory Board, comprising experts in various fields, evaluates applications based on nine areas: 1. Cultural and Natural Resources, 2. Promotion and Conservation of Cultural Resources, 3. Economic Sustainability, 4. Social Sustainability, 5. Environmental Sustainability, 6. Tourism Development and Value Chain Integration, 7. Governance and Prioritisation of Tourism, 8. Infrastructure and Connectivity and 9. Health, Safety and Security.  
Growing tourism for rural development  
The Best Tourism Villages by UN Tourism initiative, introduced in 2021, seeks to transform tourism into a catalyst for rural prosperity and wellbeing. The initiative takes a dual-pronged approach: valuing and preserving rural villages, their landscapes, cultural diversity and knowledge systems and advancing innovative strategies aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  The Best Tourism Villages by UN Tourism initiative recognises outstanding examples of rural tourism destinations with cultural and natural assets, that preserve and promote rural and community-based values, products and lifestyle and have a clear committed to innovation and sustainability. Selection is based on an evaluation of their resources and initiatives in nine areas covering the three pillars of sustainable development, i.e., economic, social and environmental. 
The Upgrade Programme benefits applicants that do not fully meet the criteria to obtain recognition. These villages receive support from UN Tourism and partners to address the gaps identified in the evaluation process. 
The Best Tourism Villages by UN Tourism Network provides a space for exchanging experiences and good practices and opportunities. It includes representatives of the Best Tourism Village as well as from the Upgrade Programme and benefits from the contributions of experts, public and private sector partners engaged in the promotion of tourism for rural development.   Since its inception, the Best Tourism Villages Network has organised a series of training sessions and masterclasses, reaching hundreds of participants.