UNWTO names Best Tourism Villages 2022

Friday, January 13, 2023

Away from the city hustles, rural tourism is home to the much needed escape now. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) recently released the second ranking of the world’s ‘best tourism villages’. 32 unparalleled locations from around the world were honoured with the recognition of “Best Tourism Villages 2022”.

UNWTO is responsible for overseeing responsible, sustainable, and widely accessible tourism. Thus, their “Best Tourism Villages” programme aims to implement sustainable tourism, lower emissions, reduce waste, and combat rural depopulation.

It also seeks to enhance gender equality, innovation, infrastructure, and investment, as well as regional income and development gaps. Here are some of our compilation from the list :

Zell am See, Austria
Zell am See is a charming lakeside village in the Austrian Alps with 10,131 residents. The town offers an excellent skiing atmosphere in the winter and hiking and bicycling in the summer. Situated in Salzburg county, it is surrounded by stunning mountains. A range of activities, including swimming, boating, stand-up paddle boarding, fishing, and simply cooling off on hot summer days, are available at the lovely lake. The region’s offerings should be constantly improved for both residents and tourists.

Pochampally, Telangana, India
Pochampally is renowned for being the place where vibrant threads and colours merge under the skilled craftsmanship of the native artisans. The world-famous traditionally hand-woven IKAT products are just one of the numerous attractions in the Pochampally hamlet, which also offers pilgrimage, ecotourism, local cultural heritage, performing arts, handicrafts, and other indigenous goods that highlight distinctive skills. The listener is quickly drawn into the world of the weavers and their families by the lovely, contemplative hum of the handloom.

Thai-Hai, Vietnam
Twenty hectares of lush forests cover this UNESCO cultural heritage hamlet, which has more than 30 stilted dwellings. Four-generations of Tay people are conserving their traditional way of life as tourist attractions by upholding their language, traditions, customs, rituals, and attire. This community also fosters the ability of local culture to produce distinctive and genuine tourism goods. Traditional spiritual festivals are held there, and the ethnic residents of the village serve as tour guides because they are knowledgeable about their particular culture and languages.

Sauris Zahre, Italy
A semi-isolated region for centuries, Sauris or Zahre’s traditions, costumes language and architecture have survived the test of time untouched. A serene hamlet immersed in the nature of the Carnic Alps, it is nestled in wildly dense forests, alpine meadows studded with malghe “shepherd’s huts”, and the emerald lake, whose hues shift with the seasons. Sauris’ raw beauty and tranquillity, soothing environment instantly captivates tourists.

Alula Old Town, Saudi Arabia
AlUla town is an Arabian heritage with an unparalleled human and environmental history. It is surrounded by a verdant oasis valley and is framed by imposing sandstone mountains. More than 900 old mud-brick buildings may be discovered in the town of AlUla Old Town, 100 of which have previously been renovated using conventional construction techniques. The Old Girls’ School Madrasat Adeera, which has been rebuilt to become a school for educating women ceramics, jewellery making, and traditional handicrafts to be sold in the Old Town’s tourist shops, is the centre of the district’s growing arts community.

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