The UN World Tourism Organization has announced the Best Tourism Villages in the World for 2025, among which is one Istrian village.

Kaštelir-Labinci has won UNWTO’s coveted accolade as one of 52 best villages in the world!

This UN programme initiative which brings together the best tourism villages was launched in 2021 with the aim developing the role of tourism in rural areas, safeguard rural landscapes, cultural diversity, local values, and culinary traditions. The award ceremony was held on October 17th in Huzhou, China, were 52 of the best villages were announced from every corner of the world: Africa, America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

Nine areas of evaluation
The UNWTO Advisory Board assessed the applications under nine areas of evaluation: Cultural and Natural Resources, Promotion and Conservation of Cultural Resources, Economic Sustainability, Social Sustainability, Environmental Sustainability, Tourism Development and Value Chain Integration, Governance and Prioritization of Tourism, Infrastructure and Connectivity, Health, Safety, and Security.

The Municipality of Kaštelir-Labinci met the criteria for four areas as far back as 2021., when it entered the programme of expansion of the global network of best tourism villages, and from then on it had underwent a process of development under the mentorship of the World Tourism Organization, which included educational programs and the exchange of experiences and best practices.

Kaštelir-Labinci has joined the “UNWTO Best Tourism Villages” with the goal of developing into recognizable tourist destination, distinctive for its authentic rural tourism, with the key role of coherent development of agriculture and tourism, with a wide range of diverse content adapted for various target groups.

More than half of the municipality’s resident are involved in some form of agricultural production, making the rich tourist offering, which nurtures local, artisanal production, based primarily on products by local, family farms, which makes Kaštelir-Labinci an increasingly popular destination.

»» Best Tourism Villages by UN Tourism:
tourism-villages.unwto.org/en/villages/kastelir-labinci

»» Find out more about this Istrian village:
kastelir-labinci.com

[October 2025]