In addition to the 52 awardees, another 20 villages entered the Upgrade Programme, a pathway of technical support for destinations with high potential that still need to strengthen specific criteria. In total, 72 new additions—between awardees and upgrade—joined the Best Tourism Villages Network this year, which now reaches 319 members and operates as a global platform for cooperation, peer learning and the promotion of good practices. This growth consolidates a diverse community of rural destinations that share challenges and solutions on issues such as visitor-flow management, digitalization, impact measurement and climate adaptation.
The 2025 edition shows wide geographic representation. From Asia to Europe, from Africa to the Middle East and the Americas, the selected villages reflect a rich variety of models and approaches: from Koyasan in Japan, a benchmark in spiritual tourism; to Bled in Slovenia, an example of landscape stewardship and gentle mobility; and Chamarel in Mauritius, where community-based initiatives revolve around natural heritage; to Masfout in the United Arab Emirates or Carlos Pellegrini in Argentina, the gateway to the Iberá wetlands. The selection illustrates that there is no single road to excellence, but many strategies converging on the same aim: placing the community at the center of tourism-led development.
In Latin America, the list includes Aldea San Cristóbal (Guatemala), Antonio Prado (Brazil), Carlos Pellegrini and Maimará (Argentina), Murillo (Colombia) and Pacto (Ecuador). These villages share attributes such as valuing tangible and intangible cultural heritage, conserving strategic natural environments, creating high-content local experiences and forging public-private coordination to strengthen services and infrastructure. For the region, the recognition brings international visibility, access to technical cooperation and an opportunity to consolidate sustainable tourism products with greater resilience to seasonality.
The announcement in Huzhou underscored the collaborative nature of the programme: the BTV Network functions as a living laboratory of solutions for rural destinations seeking to professionalize their management, rigorously measure their impacts and scale inclusion initiatives. By joining the Network, villages gain access to the exchange of methodologies, connections with experts and partners, and a global narrative that highlights proposals aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals—especially decent work, gender equality, responsible consumption and production, and climate action. In this sense, the recognized cases show clear convergences: they strengthen local value chains, integrate artisans and producers into the visitor experience, promote cleaner mobility and energy, and preserve identity as a pillar of competitiveness.
Beyond prestige, the “Best Tourism Village” seal serves as a roadmap. It is a standard that guides investment, encourages continuous improvement and helps build trust between travelers and communities. For public and private managers, the 2025 edition sends a clear message: the future of rural tourism is not just about attracting visitors, but doing so with participatory governance, data-driven decision-making and an honest narrative capable of turning local pride into memorable experiences. The outcome—52 distinguished villages and 20 in the improvement track—reminds us that sustainability, when applied consistently on the ground, is also a strong market differentiator.
