United Nations World Tourism Organization names Mestia among the Best Tourism Villages of 2022.
“Mestia, with its fascinating nature and rich history has remarkable monuments of Georgian architecture and ethnography including churches, monasteries, traditional towers, and local buildings. The village has a diverse landscape, rich in forest areas and alpine zones and is famous for attracting world-renowned sports championships.
A hiking and trekking paradise over the snow mountains in Mestia offers skiing and snowboarding for eight months of the year,” the WTO said.
From Austria to Vietnam, 32 destinations from all around the world have been named as ‘Best Tourism Villages 2022’ by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
The accolade recognizes rural destinations that are embracing tourism as a driver of development and new opportunities for jobs and income, while preserving and promoting community-based values and products. The initiative also recognizes villages for their commitment to innovation and sustainability in all its aspects – economic, social and environmental – and a focus on developing tourism in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In 2022, a total of 32 villages from 18 countries across the five world regions were awarded the recognition. The villages were evaluated by an independent Advisory Board based on a set of criteria covering nine areas:
1. Cultural and Natural Resources
2. Promotion and Conservation of Cultural Resources
3. Economic Sustainability
4. Social Sustainability
5. Environmental Sustainability
6. Tourism Development and Value Chain Integration
7. Governance and Prioritization of Tourism
8. Infrastructure and Connectivity
9. Health, Safety, and Security
