United Nations World tourism Organisation(UNWTO) recognizes villages which are an outstanding example of a rural tourism destination with recognized cultural and natural assets, for sustainability in all its aspects – economic, social and environmental, that preserve and promote rural and community-based values, products and lifestyle and have a clear commitment to innovation.
For the same, last year, they selected44 villages from 32 countries across five regions, From that list…. here is a list of 5 best sustainable Villages to spend ones new year eve where tourism preserves cultures and traditions, celebrates diversity, provides opportunities and safeguards biodiversity.
Kaunertal (Austria), which is the region of the famous “Gepatschferner” glacier, one of the highest and most spectacular glaciers in the Tyrol. It is also part of a nature park founded on the initiative of the local population. Since 2021 it includes 40% of the entire natural area of the region.
Promotion of the agricultural roots
The village contributes to the preservation of the special identity and language of the locals. Agricultural traditions for instance, especially alpine farming, are of great cultural importance for the region. The people working in the area of alpine farming are supported by joint promotion projects (a cooperation of agriculture, nature park, municipality and tourism association).
Beyond Gorillas – Nkotsi, Rwanda
Nkotsi is a small village located in the south-western side of Musanze, a town in the Northern Province of Rwanda. It is one of the villages part of Volcanoes National Park, internationally recognised UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and home to 30% of global population of mountain gorillas. Gorillas’ sighting is the main tourism attraction of Rwanda, but the offer must be diversified in order to assure tourism as a sustainable source of income for the population.
Nkotsi brings together communities around the Virunga Mountains to promote community sustainable development, involving local people in programs which improve their livelihood through Environmental Conservation, Arts & Culture, Education, and Community Health & Food Security Initiatives.
The Igihoho project here was started in 2016 with the aim of reducing the use of plastic bags with eco-friendly Seed bags made from banana barks. The project involves 20 women and helps meeting the consumer’s demand for sustainable products while generating revenue.
Through its Red Rocks Initiatives for Sustainable Development (RRSD), the local community members can access to a variety of educational paths, designed to build practical skills which are in line with the tourism development. The courses are particularly delineated to let people understand the value of their resources and the importance of conservation.
Batu Puteh – Malaysia – In 1996 the community of Batu Puteh was at a key turning point. After large companies with big machineries transformed the traditional forest-based culture with over 40 years of extraction of huge logs from the rainforest, the community of Batu Puteh was left in the middle of a vast agricultural landscape, with no logs and no jobs.
Fortunately, the Government created a small protected Forest Reserve around the village and in 1996 a group of visionary youths from the Batu Puteh Community took it upon themselves to try to earn a living from tourism, to conserve their traditional culture and to help protect the remaining forest ecosystem, whilst creating jobs and sustainable income.
After 3 years of research, training and planning, the core youth group of Batu Puteh had established 5 key products and had set-up four separate tourism associations across the village, including the Miso Walai Homestay, the Maya do Talud Boat Service, Wayan Forest Guide Service and Monompos Culture Group. This was in the year 2000. After the initial three years of operation and small-scale ecotourism activities, the village tourism associations joined forces to establish the Community Cooperative (co-op) KOPEL Bhd in 2003.
Nglanggeran – Indonesia –
Nglanggeran, located 25 km away from Yogyakarta city, has developed the concept of Community-based tourism. The majority of the population work as farmers, plantation workers and ranchers. The beauty of its natural landscape and the uniqueness of Gunung Api Purba (ancient volcano) are the main attraction in Nglanggeran. The geological formation of the volcano tells an Oligo-miosen (tertiary age) history of the area. Tourists can opt for trekking activity exploring towering giant-sized chunks of rocks and taking pictures with the green landscape in the background. This attraction is also a part of the UNESCO Global Geopark of Mount Sewu.
Living in with the people of Nglanggeran at local homestays provides an authentic feeling of being in, and become part of, the countryside. Nglanggeran tourism village has approximately 80 homestays offering a combination of other tourism packages. During the activities, they can learn about many things: flora fauna, suitable planting, cultural arts, chocolate processing, wooden batik, hand-painted batik, etawa goat farm, eco-spa and learn about tatakrama (unggah-ungguh: a sort of traditional manners).
Berber village of Argan producers- Sidi Kaouki, Morocco
Sidi Kaouki is a small Berber village 25km south of Essaouira, home to valleys, forests, sea and caves. The name of this village of fishermen and shepherds comes from a local saint from the late 19th century whose tomb can still be seen at one end of its endless beach.
In this coastal municipality, the main activities practised by the local population are, in addition to fishing and agriculture, the production and marketing of high quality 100% natural organic products, such as honey, amlou, or the famous Argan, from which cosmetics, soap, shampoos and creams are made. The local population of Sidi Kaouki produces, develops and sells all kinds of Argan products, such as the Sidi Kaouki cooperative, the Sidi Kaouki Argan Women’s Association and the Moroccan natural products mogador.
In fact, Sidi Kaouki is part of the Argan biosphere reserve which covers the vast plain bordered by the High Atlas and Anti-Atlas mountains and flows into the Atlantic. The argan forest plays an important role in terms of research and socio-economic development.
Pine nuts harvesting- Bkassine, Lebanon
70 km from the capital, Beirut, and 23 km from Saida, Bkassine is located at an average altitude of 800m. It is famous for its glorious 200-hectare pine forest, the largest in Lebanon and the Middle East, which has made it a privileged tourist centre thanks to its preserved natural environment and excellent climate. The pine forest is the most important feature of the village that attracts tourists. It is a privileged destination for ecotourism and plays an important role in the rural economy by offering great economic opportunities through the harvesting of pine nuts. The municipality is responsible for forest maintenance and pruning activities.
With a rich biodiversity of plant species, other non-timber forest products include aromatic and medicinal plants collected by the community for culinary and domestic medicinal use. The forest includes several traditional features, such as old bridges dating back to Ottoman times, olive presses and water mills along the river that runs along the edge of the forest.
In partnership with the Municipality of Bkassine, an agro-processing center has been equipped by USAID under the Baladi Program, providing opportunities for women to engage in the production of local and traditional Lebanese food and gastronomy, generating income for local farmers and young people acting as local guides.
