UN Tourism Body Awards "Best Tourism Villages" Title to 7 Chinese Villages
Seven Chinese villages have been honored as Best Tourism Villages by UN Tourism.
TroibNews 
Shibadong Village, located in Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in central China's Hunan Province, was among the seven villages recently recognized as "Best Tourism Villages" by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), as announced by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on July 4, 2024.
This announcement was made during a UN Tourism meeting in Cartagena, Colombia, and raises the total number of Chinese villages honored with the "Best Tourism Villages" title to 15, placing China at the forefront with the highest number of recognized villages.
The newly acknowledged villages are Azheke Village in Yunnan, Guanyang Village in Fujian, Shibadong Village in Hunan, Taoping Village in Sichuan, Xiaogang Village in Anhui, Xitou Village in Zhejiang, and Yandunjiao Village in Shandong.
These villages, spread across the eastern, central, and western parts of China, exemplify diverse geographic, cultural, and developmental attributes, highlighting the significant progress made in rural tourism throughout the country.
For instance, Azheke Village in Yunnan is situated within the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces and has adopted a distinctive approach to tourism. The local community has pooled resources from terraces, homes, and traditional practices to create a model focusing on collective involvement and mutual benefit.
The UNWTO initiated the Best Tourism Villages project in 2021 to spotlight villages globally that excel in nurturing rural communities and safeguarding landscapes, cultural diversity, local values, and culinary heritage.
Ramin Sohrabi for TROIB News
This announcement was made during a UN Tourism meeting in Cartagena, Colombia, and raises the total number of Chinese villages honored with the "Best Tourism Villages" title to 15, placing China at the forefront with the highest number of recognized villages.
The newly acknowledged villages are Azheke Village in Yunnan, Guanyang Village in Fujian, Shibadong Village in Hunan, Taoping Village in Sichuan, Xiaogang Village in Anhui, Xitou Village in Zhejiang, and Yandunjiao Village in Shandong.
These villages, spread across the eastern, central, and western parts of China, exemplify diverse geographic, cultural, and developmental attributes, highlighting the significant progress made in rural tourism throughout the country.
For instance, Azheke Village in Yunnan is situated within the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces and has adopted a distinctive approach to tourism. The local community has pooled resources from terraces, homes, and traditional practices to create a model focusing on collective involvement and mutual benefit.
The UNWTO initiated the Best Tourism Villages project in 2021 to spotlight villages globally that excel in nurturing rural communities and safeguarding landscapes, cultural diversity, local values, and culinary heritage.
Ramin Sohrabi for TROIB News
