UNWTO Awards AlUla Old Town ‘Best Tourism Village’ Award
The UN World Tourism Organization has named AlUla Old Town the Best Tourist Village. AlUla Old Town offers 900 homes, 500 stores, and five town squares. The event took place at the Maraya Concert Hall, celebrating the town’s rich history and culture under the theme: “Tourism — Transforming Lives.”
The event highlighted achievements in tourism of other villages receiving 32 awards.
At the event, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Tourism, Ahmed Al-Khateeb expressed that the villages receiving awards had earned praise for their consistent dedication to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN in the areas of economic, social, and environmental sustainability.
The fundamental goal of the project, according to Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary General of the UNWTO, was to support local communities, particularly villages, in their efforts to generate money for their local economies through new jobs, education, innovation, and investment.
Pololikashvili closed the ceremony by saying that “we are very happy that we had more than 40 countries coming. Ambassadors, ministers, representatives of villages, mayors, and the private sector as well.”
