WTO: Al-Ula is among the best tourist villages in the world

The United Nations World Tourism Organization revealed that the ancient town of Al-Ula in Saudi Arabia has become among the best tourist villages in the world.

According to “CNN”, the Saudi destination, along with a village in Jordan, and two villages in Morocco, were included among the 32 best villages for this year, as revealed by the organization.

In its second year, the UN program recognizes “rural destinations that embrace tourism as a driver of development, while preserving community values and championing innovation and sustainability,” according to the organization’s statement.

This year, 57 countries submitted 136 villages for consideration, with each Member State able to nominate a maximum of three villages. Of these, 32 were chosen as the best tourist villages by the World Tourism Organization

The old town of Al-Ula

An aerial view of the historic ancient town of Al-Ula in northwestern Saudi Arabia, on April 1, 2018, plain_text.

The Al-Ula Governorate, which is home to the Old Town of Al-Ula, is a site of exceptional natural and human heritage that, until the past few years, was closed to international tourism.

The old town of Al-Ula

The maze-like streets of the old town of Al-Ula were protected by a defensive wall., plain_text

The ancient town of Al-Ula is part of a fertile oasis valley set against a backdrop of towering sandstone mountains, and is a stronghold of the natural and cultural heritage of its people dating back thousands of years.

The old town of Al-Ula

The old town of Al-Ula contained about 900 houses and 400 mud-brick shops., plain_text

The old town of Al-Ula includes more than 900 traditional mud-brick buildings, 100 of which have been restored using traditional building methods.

More like a maze.. This is what the scene of the ancient town of Al-Ula in Saudi Arabia looks like from above

In Jordan, the village of “Umm Qais” has unique tourism features, including stunning landscapes, as the village is part of the Yarmouk Nature Reserve, which is the last natural extension of the deciduous oak forest, the national tree of Jordan.

Umm Qais village

This image shows a partial view of the ancient Roman city of Jadara on November 17, 2021, near the northwestern village of Umm Qais, 110 kilometers north of the Jordanian capital, Amman.

In addition, the village has many perennial trees and rare plant forms.

And in Morocco, the ancient “Qasr al-Khirbat” is a rectangular fortified village, built in the nineteenth century. The village is considered a symbol of oases life throughout southern Morocco, and it is a representation of the architectural and historical heritage dating back to the fourteenth century.

Also in Morocco, the small fishing village of “Moulay Bouzarktoun” is part of the Argan Biosphere Reserve, which overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. The argan forest plays an important role in terms of research and the social and economic development of the village

Here are the 32 best tourist villages for 2022, according to the World Tourism Organization

Old town of Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia

Umm Qais village, Jordan

Khirbat Palace, Morocco

Moulay Bouzarktoun, Morocco

Kafr Kama town, Israel

Zell am See, Austria

Wagreen, Austria

Buckeldon, Chile

Dazhai Village, China

Jingzhou Village, China

Choachie, Colombia

Aguarico, Ecuador

Anguchagua, Ecuador

Mestia, Georgia

Soris Zaher, Italy

Isola del Giglio, Italy

Creel, Mexico

El Fuerte, Mexico

Lamas, Peru

Al-Raqshi, Peru

Castelo Novo, Portugal

Pyeongsa-ri, South Korea

Rasinari, Romania

Boeing, Slovenia

Robet, Spain

Alquézar, Spain

Guadalupe, Spain

Morten, Switzerland

Andermatt, Switzerland

Bergi town, Turkey

Tay Hai, Vietnam