UNWTO names Morcote and Saint-Ursanne as ‘Best Tourism Villages’
Bern, 19.10.2023 - The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has named the 2023 winners of its ‘Best Tourism Villages’ initiative. The accolade is being awarded for the third time. Switzerland, as a UNWTO member state, nominated five candidates to receive this year’s award. The two Swiss villages of Morcote and Saint-Ursanne have now been named among the winners in Samarkand on 19 October 2023.
Rural tourism destinations that preserve traditional occupations or lifestyles, such as agriculture or forestry, and promote their cultural heritage through sustainable tourism are eligible to apply for the UNWTO’s ‘Best Tourism Villages’ award. As part of a nationwide call for proposals, representatives of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), the Swiss Tourism Federation and Switzerland Tourism submitted the names of Bregaglia (GR), Morcote (TI), Romoos (LU), Saint Martin (VS) and Saint-Ursanne (JU) to the UNWTO in summer 2023. Morcote and Saint-Ursanne were able to convince the independent and multidisciplinary UNWTO advisory board with their strong focus on sustainable development, their picturesque village centres and various initiatives for the preservation, promotion and tourism-related development of cultural heritage.
This year the UNWTO awarded the ‘Best Tourism Village’ label to 53 of the 260 or so applications received from around the world. The official award ceremony took place during the UNWTO General Assembly in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Together with Andermatt, Gruyères, Murten, Saas-Fee and Val Poschiavo, which have received awards in previous years, Switzerland now has seven ‘Best Tourism Villages’.
In addition to this mark of recognition, the winning villages also benefit from worldwide UNWTO marketing campaigns. The award gives the villages additional visibility and allows them to position themselves accordingly.
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