Vorokhta and Urych were included in the list of 55 best villages for tourism according to the UN
The villages of Vorokhta in Ivano-Frankivsk region and Urych in Lviv region got into to the prestigious list of the best villages for tourism compiled by the UN World Tourism Organization. This was announced during a session of the UN Executive Council on Tourism in Cartagena, Colombia.
55 villages were selected for the list from 260 applications submitted by 60 member countries of the organization. Twenty villages from the list, including Vorokhta and Urych, will also enter the renewal program, which will contribute to their sustainable development.
“Tourism is a vital tool for supporting rural communities, enabling them to preserve and value their cultural heritage, and contributing to their sustainable development.” – commented UN Secretary General for Tourism Zurab Pololikashvili.
Vorokhta and Urych will be honored at the III National Tourism Summit in Lviv on November 28, where the awards will be presented by representatives of the World Tourism Organization, in particular the Director of External Relations Beka Jackeli and the Director of the European Region Kordula Vollmuter.
Maryana Oleskiv, head of the State Tourism Development Agency of Ukraine, emphasized that the participation of Urych and Vorokhta in this list opens up new perspectives for them.
“Urych and Vorokhta will be able to receive mentoring from UN Tourism and potential financial support, as well as draw the attention of travelers to their cultural and natural wealthOleskiv emphasized.
In May, DART submitted applications for the participation of Vorokhta, Urych, and other Ukrainian villages, including Zeleny Gay in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Kvasy in Transcarpathia, and Olyka in Volyn.
The UN World Tourism Organization launched the “Best Tourist Villages” award in 2021, and today there are 254 villages in this network. The main selection criteria include cultural and natural resources, economic and social sustainability, preservation of cultural resources, developed infrastructure, tourism management, health, safety and other important factors of sustainable development.
