India has long been the land of villages, where traditions, culture, and natural beauty coalesce into stories that define the nation’s soul. With over 600,000 inhabited villages, India offers unmatched diversity—from the desert craftsmanship of Kutch to the serene hillocks of the Himalayas. Despite this treasure trove, the country’s rural tourism has yet to fully translate into global accolades. The conspicuous absence of Indian villages in the prestigious 2025 UN Tourism Best Tourism Villages list prompts a critical examination of what India is missing and what it can do to ensure its rural heart claims the international recognition it deserves.
Since its launch, the UN Tourism Best Tourism Villages programme has been a global platform championing sustainable, community-led rural development through tourism. India, despite its vast rural heritage, has seen only two of its villages—Pochampalli in Telangana (2021) and Dhordo in Gujarat (2023)—earn this coveted recognition. As the 2025 list unveiled 52 worldwide leaders in rural tourism, not a single Indian village featured.
The reasons behind this apparent disconnect are manifold. A primary factor is India’s fragmented nomination process. Entry to the UN list is managed through each country’s National Tourism Administration. For India, the Ministry of Tourism can nominate up to eight villages per year. However, India’s 2025 team might not have submitted a complete, finalised slate of entries, as the Ministry refined its domestic Best Tourism Village framework to better match UN evaluation criteria. Consequently, many promising villages remained in the wings, awaiting better-aligned opportunities in the 2026 cycle.
Across the country, states like Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha, and Rajasthan are channelling considerable efforts into developing rural tourism infrastructure. Roads have been improved, temples renovated, riverfronts beautified, and homestays supported with government investment. Yet, despite these efforts, Indian villages remain virtually absent from the UN Tourism Best Tourism Villages list for 2025.
This brings us to India’s second challenge: documentation and data readiness. The UN Tourism assessment prioritises transparency and evidence-based impact reports, requiring detailed socio-economic, environmental, and inclusiveness metrics. Many Indian rural tourism projects, while rich in qualitative value, lack standardised impact measurement tools and comprehensive longitudinal data. Without such data, even the most vibrant community-led initiatives struggle to clear the technical bar for global nomination.
India’s internal rural tourism landscape is a complex mosaic of overlapping programmes like Swadesh Darshan 2.0, various regional rural tourism initiatives, and a domestic Best Tourism Village challenge. Unfortunately, these often operate in silos, resulting in scattered governance that makes it difficult to present a cohesive front aligned with the United Nations’ holistic five-pillar evaluation framework. This framework assesses villages based on cultural and natural resources, sustainability, tourism development, infrastructure, and community governance—requiring integrated cross-sector cooperation that India has yet to institutionalise fully.
Notably, this year, the Ministry of Tourism did not run a dedicated campaign for its own Best Tourism Village award, unlike previous years. Typically, India announces its national winners by September, but this year, there was no such announcement, leading many to conclude—though without any official explanation—that the national awards may have been suspended. This gap offers a fresh window of opportunity to rethink and realign India’s rural tourism initiatives more strategically.
India’s Central Nodal Agency (CNA) for Rural Tourism, based at the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM), was meant to be the national fulcrum for rural tourism coordination. However, this partnership between an academic institute and government may have failed to provide the pan-India dynamic leadership necessary to scale and sustain rural tourism initiatives. According to insights from CNA insiders, a mismatch between high-level expectations and field realities hampered strategic intervention. IITTM’s academic strengths were undeniable but not fully matched with an on-the-ground governance framework capable of addressing regional complexities at scale.
Adding to this, Indian villages often face a branding and global visibility gap. Leading UN-recognised villages showcase refined digital platforms, compelling multimedia storytelling, and clear marketing narratives aimed at the international traveller. In contrast, many Indian villages, despite excellent grassroots work, have limited online presence and professionally packaged narratives to catch the eye of global judges and tourists alike.
Reflecting on the two Indian success stories—Pochampalli and Dhordo—it is clear that successful nominations blend meticulous evidence, inclusive governance, cultural stewardship, and impactful economic upliftment. Dhordo’s transformation through the Rann Utsav festival and community entrepreneurship offers a textbook example of data-backed rural revival meeting global standards.
India’s next imperative is to embrace this model as the standard for all its potential nominees. States must prioritise data standardisation, impact audits, and brand storytelling, creating replicable, scalable frameworks compatible with UN reporting requirements.
Simultaneously, a dedicated National Nomination Support Cell could provide technical assistance, actively coordinate with states, and prepare competitive dossiers. Formalising such institutional mechanisms at the national level will be critical for sustained success.
Opportunities abound. Villages under Uttar Pradesh’s rural tourism campaign—like Kari-Kot, which recently garnered recognition at the ICRT Responsible Tourism Awards—Kerala’s responsible tourism tracts, and the heritage hamlets of Himachal and Odisha have the essence needed. What they require is rigorous alignment with the UN model along with strategic communication efforts. As the sixth call for applications opens in early 2026, India stands on the cusp of a renewed opportunity—one that can transform its rural tourism trajectory from national promise to global exemplar.
India’s villages are not just destinations. They are custodians of culture, reservoirs of ecological wisdom, and beacons of social equity. Properly integrated, documented, and marketed, they can lead the world in tourism for rural development.
Rural tourism inherently carries the promise of equitable economic distribution. Unlike urban-centric mass tourism, rural offerings directly channel tourism revenue into village households through homestays, craft sales, local guiding, and food services. This spreads economic benefits widely, empowering women and youth and creating livelihood opportunities where few existed before.
If India can overcome its nomination process gaps, unify its data frameworks, invest in digital marketing, and embrace strategic governance coordination, it will rightfully claim its place among the world’s best tourism villages.
India’s rural story deserves a global stage. The time has come to tell it with clarity, rigour, and pride.
Ananta Prasad is a development journalist turned destination development consultant and strategist specializing in rural and responsible tourism. He was instrumental in supporting Gujarat Tourism’s award-winning Dhordo village submission and leads UPANUBHAV campaign, rural tourism initiatives supported by Uttar Pradesh Tourism.
1. What is the UN Tourism Best Tourism Villages initiative?
It is a global programme by UN Tourism (formerly UNWTO) that recognises rural destinations committed to sustainable development through tourism, community involvement, and cultural preservation.
2. How many Indian villages have made the list so far?
Only two—Pochampalli in Telangana (2021) and Dhordo in Gujarat (2023)—have earned the recognition so far.
3. Why didn’t any Indian village feature in the 2025 list?
The absence is largely due to an incomplete nomination process, lack of standardised data, and limited global marketing alignment with UN evaluation criteria.
4. What can India do to improve its chances in future lists?
India can strengthen documentation, unify rural tourism policies, invest in data-backed monitoring, and enhance digital storytelling to meet international benchmarks.
5. When will the next round of applications open?
The sixth call for applications is expected to open in early 2026, offering India another opportunity to showcase its villages on the global stage.
