Kalopanayiotis and Pissouri, two Cypriot villages of Nicosia and Limassol district respectively, are among the villages participating in the Upgrade Programme of the UN's World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to become "Best Tourism Villages". 

On Monday, UNWTO announced 32 villages from 18 countries across the world, recognised as "Best Tourism Villages". UNWTO said that with this programme, it recognizes that rural destinations 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.

A total of 136 villages were put forward for consideration by 57 UNWTO Member States for the 2022 edition. From these, 32 were recognized as Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO. A further 20 villages will enter the Upgrade Programme, among which are the two Cypriot villages. All 52 villages will also become part of the UNWTO Best Tourism Villages Global Network created in 2021 which from this date gathers 115 villages from the five continents. The Network provides a number of benefits including onsite and online training, sharing of good practices and international brand recognition and awareness.

The Best Tourism Villages initiative is the flagship project of the UNWTO Tourism for Rural Development Programme. The Programme aims to ensure that tourism contributes to reducing regional inequalities in income and development, fighting depopulation, progressing gender equality and women’s and youth empowerment, advancing innovation and digitalization, improving connectivity, infrastructure, access to finance and investment, innovating in product development and value chain integration, promoting sustainable practices for more efficient use of resources and a reduction of emissions and waste and enhancing education and skills.

The 2022 Best Tourism Villages are: Austria: Zell am See, Wagrain, Chile: Puqueldón, China: Dazhai, Jingzhu, Colombia: Choachí, Ecuador: Aguarico, Angochagua, Ethiopia: Choke Mountains Ecovillage, Georgia: Mestia, Israel: Kfar Kama, Italy: Sauris-Zahre, Isola del Giglio, Jordan: Umm Qais, Mexico: Creel, El Fuerte, Morocco: Ksar Elkhorbat, Moulay Bouzerktoune, Peru: Lamas, Raqchi, Portugal: Castelo Novo, South Korea: Pyeongsa-ri, Romania: Rasinari, Saudi Arabia: AlUla Old Town, Slovenia: Bohinj, Spain: Rupit, Alquézar, Guadalupe, Switzerland: Murten, Andermatt, Turkey: Birgi, and Vietnam: Thái Hải.

The villages participating in the Upgrade Programme are: Argentina: Trevelin, Bosnia-Herzegovina: Krupa na Vrbasu, Cabo Verde: Fontainhas, Chile: Ninhue, Colombia: San Vicente de Chucuri, Barichara, Cyprus: Kalopanayiotis, Pissouri, Ethiopia: Adaba, India: Khonoma, Israel: Neot Semadar, Italy: Otricoli, Kenya: Il Ngwesi, Mauritius: Grand Baie, Paraguay: Bella Vista, Poland: Istebna, Portugal: Ferraria de São João, Trinidad and Tobago: Castara, and Turkey: Anıtlı and Cumalıkızık.