Beijing, China – Seven villages in China have been honored as the Best Tourism Villages by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in its 2024 selection, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
The announcement was made on Friday at a UNWTO meeting held in Cartagena, Colombia. With this latest recognition, China now boasts the highest number of villages holding the prestigious title, with a total of 15.
The seven Chinese villages selected by UNWTO this year 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.
Spanning the eastern, central, and western regions of China, these villages are highly representative in terms of geography, culture, and development models, highlighting the remarkable achievements of rural tourism development across China.
For instance, Yunnan's Azheke Village, nestled in the heart of the Honghe Hani Rice Terraces, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has adopted a unique approach to tourism development. Villagers have contributed resources such as terraces, houses, and traditional ways of life, creating a model of collective participation and shared prosperity.
Meanwhile, Shibadong Village in Hunan serves as a landmark in China's poverty alleviation efforts. It is the birthplace of the concept of "targeted poverty alleviation," a key strategy that enabled China to lift nearly 100 million people out of poverty. By integrating culture and tourism to drive new momentum for rural development, the once-impoverished village now showcases China's rural revitalization success to the world.
Anhui's Xiaogang, a village where China's rural reform began over four decades ago, is another location making strides on its new journey toward achieving rural revitalization. Today, visitors from across the globe can witness the profound changes China has undergone by exploring this village.
To promote rural tourism, UNWTO launched the Best Tourism Villages project in 2021 to recognize villages across the world that are leading the way in nurturing rural areas and preserving landscapes, cultural diversity, local values, and culinary traditions.
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