Japan Tourism Topics by JNTO

[News!]
1.Two Japanese Towns Selected as Best Tourism Villages 2024

Two Japanese towns have made the Best Tourism Villages list: Nishikawa in Yamagata Prefecture and Amagi in Kagoshima Prefecture. In 2021, the UN Tourism began this initiative to facilitate rural tourism and encourage the preservation of local landscapes and traditions. The 2024 list of Best Tourism Villages has been announced, consisting of 55 carefully selected destinations from a pool of 260 entries. Their inclusion on the list means that these towns have been recognized for their achievements in empowering their communities through tourism. The designation of these two towns has brought the total of Best Tourism Villages in Japan to eight, with previous selections including Biei and Niseko in Hokkaido, Miyama in Kyoto, Oku-Matsushima in Miyagi, Hakuba in Nagano, and Shirakawa in Gifu. In addition to the Best Tourism Villages, the areas of Yamakoshi in Niigata Prefecture and Shirayama in Fukui Prefecture have been chosen for the Upgrade Programme, which will help them receive guidance to be recognized as Best Tourism Villages in the future. Asuka Village in Nara Prefecture was also part of the Upgrade Programme in 2023.

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