A deputy minister said eight villages across Iran will be cherry-picked from a total of 50 villages that meet the criteria for receiving the recognition as the best tourism villages.

In October 2025, the UN Tourism announced the 2025 list of Best Tourism Villages that included 52 communities leading tourism for rural development.

The 52 villages, located in all regions -Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Middle East- were selected from over 270 applications from 65 UN Tourism Member States.

While the Best Tourism Villages (BTV) Network grows every year, 319 villages are now part of the largest community of rural destinations in the world.

“Tourism can be a powerful tool to progress shared prosperity, inclusive growth and territorial cohesion in rural areas… These villages show that by embracing tourism, they can promote social inclusion and build a future where no one is left behind,” UN Tourism Secretary General Zurab Pololikashvili said.

Candidate villages are assessed by an independent Advisory Board under nine areas of evaluation, including 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.