Goryeong Gaesil Village Selected as a Top Tourism Village Candidate by UNWTO

Gaesil Village in Goryeong, Gyeongbuk, was selected on the 18th as the Korean representative candidate village for the 5th Best Tourism Villages by UN Tourism.

The Best Tourism Villages by UN Tourism (BTV) was launched in 2021 to develop the role of tourism in rural areas worldwide and to preserve landscapes, cultural diversity, regional values, and culinary traditions.

At the 4th event last year, more than 260 applications were received from over 60 UN Tourism member countries, and 55 villages were recognized and finally selected. Currently, 254 villages form the world's largest rural destination community, solidifying the position of rural areas as key players in sustainable tourism and community development.

So far, six villages in Korea have been selected as Best Tourism Villages by UN Tourism.

Gaesil Village in Goryeong County began as a pilot village for the "Beautiful Village Development Project" designated by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety in 2001. It has been known as a Korean rural tourism hotspot visited by people worldwide by providing urban residents with opportunities for wholesome leisure and rural experiences, creating jobs for residents through tourism attraction, increasing income, and improving quality of life.

Over the past 24 years, Gaesil Village has demonstrated the future vision for Korean rural areas by receiving four Presidential Commendations, the grand prize at the National Village Development Competition, the top award at the 1st Farmstay Village Awards, the Korean Rural Tourism Management Award, designation as a first-class rural experience and recreation village, and the highest grade in rural tourism business (up to 2027).

In this UN Tourism Best Tourism Villages competition, Goryeong County was selected as the Korean representative candidate village by scoring above the standard in the evaluation of 10 non-quantitative criteria, including cultural and natural resources, economic, social, and environmental sustainability, tourism development and value chain integration, governance, and tourism prioritization.

A panoramic view of Gaesil Village, Goryeong-gun.