Year-ender: Top 10 cultural events from 2023

4. Four Chinese villages named Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO

Four rural villages in China were named Best Tourism Villages 2023 on Oct 19, an accolade given by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) which recognizes villages that are leading the way in nurturing rural areas and preserving landscapes, cultural diversity, local values and culinary traditions.

The four villages are: Xiajiang village from Zhejiang province, Huangling village from Jiangxi province, Zhagana village from Gansu province and Zhujiawan village from Shaanxi province.

The announcement was made at the UNWTO's 25th General Assembly in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Launched in 2021, the Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO initiative is part of the UNWTO Tourism for Rural Development Programme. So far, a total of eight villages from China were named in the list, having China rank first globally.