The 'best' villages in the world for tourism have been announced

(DailyExpertNews) — Travel has changed in many ways since the start of the pandemic, but a positive change is the new impetus for rural tourism. Where we used to plan to tick off another city trip, we started dreaming of the outdoors during the lockdown – and that still hasn’t changed.

So here are 32 new rural spots to add to your list. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has released its second annual list of “best” rural villages around the world.

It’s a departure from the usual lists of Instagrammable places in top tourist destinations. The UNWTO is a United Nations agency that focuses on responsible tourism — so these villages were chosen because they grow visitor numbers without ruining what visitors come to see. In a statement, the UNWTO said:

“The award recognizes rural destinations that embrace tourism as a driver of development and new opportunities for jobs and income, while preserving and promoting community-based values and products. The initiative also recognizes villages for their commitment to innovation and sustainability in all its aspects – economic, social and environmental – and a focus on developing tourism in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

A total of 32 villages around the world made it to the list, out of 136 nominated by 57 UNTWEE member states. There is no ranking — instead, the destinations are listed alphabetically by country.

Puqueldon on Chile’s Lemuy Island made the list.

Bernd Zillich/Alamy

Each country was allowed to submit up to three villages for consideration – and only Spain managed to qualify all three villages. Rupit, Alquézar and Guadalupe all made the list. The neighboring country, Portugal, had one entrance — Castelo Novo, one of 12 historic villages surrounded by the Serra da Gardunha mountain range.

Austria starts the list with Zell am See. A small town rather than a village, it lies on the shore of the tranquil Zeller See, in the shadow of the Kitzbühel Alps. Its brother, Wagrain, is a small ski resort near Salzburg.

Next is Chile, and the Puqueldón entrance — the largest of nine villages on Lemuy Island in Chile’s Chiloé archipelago. China survived with two villages: Dazhai, in northern Guangxi province, and Jingzhu in Chongqing, southwest China.

Zell am See is one of the two Austrian places on the list.

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A particularly interesting addition to the list is Choke Mountain Village, an ecotourism village on Choke Mountain, about 200 miles northwest of Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa. The farming community uses solar energy, biogas and ecological waste management, manages sustainable land and has introduced fair trade tourism, where visitors can purchase local honey, coffee, medicinal herbs and beer as a memento of their stay.

Dubbed the “Best Tourism Villages” initiative, the program aims to combat rural depopulation, promote gender equality, innovation, infrastructure and investment, and reduce regional income and development disparities – all while being sustainable tourism is promoted and emissions and waste are reduced. The villages on the list have a “clear commitment to innovation and sustainability in all its aspects – economic, social and environmental,” the UNWTO said in a statement.

The Italian island of Giglio also made the list.

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A concurrent “Upgrade Program” supports villages that did not meet the full list criteria to increase their chances of making it in the years to come.

The full list, in alphabetical order, is as follows:

• Zell am See, Austria

• Wagrain, Austria

• Puqueldón, Chile

• Dazhai, China

• Jingzhu, China

• Choachi, Colombia

• Aguarico, Ecuador

• Angochagua, Ecuador

• Choke Mountains Eco Village, Ethiopia

• Mestia, Georgia

• Kfar Kama, Israel