Two Turkish towns included in best tourism village list

ISTANBUL

Two settlements in Turkey have been included in the U.N.’s Best Tourism Villages list, the U.N. World Tourism Organizations (UNWTO) have said.

Mustafapaşa, a town in the Central Anatolian province of Nevşehir, and Taraklı, a small district in the northwestern province of Sakarya, are among the “best examples of villages embracing tourism to provide opportunity,” the U.N. body said.

A total of 44 villages from 32 countries across five regions in the world were granted the recognition in 2021, according to the announcement of the chosen towns which came after a meeting in the Spanish capital city of Madrid.

“All of them stand out for their natural and cultural resources as well as for their innovative and transformative actions and commitment to the development of tourism in line with the Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs],” the statement said.

The villages were evaluated by an independent advisory board based on a set of criteria covering nine areas, including cultural and natural resources, economic and social sustainability and their tourism potentials.

Mustafapaşa, a Cappadocia town once known as Sinasos, is considered a safe haven and a better choice for those seeking authenticity since it was a less well-known settlement compared to Ürgüp and Göreme.

Located midway between Ankara and Istanbul, Taraklı is also a little town just like Mustafapaşa, and it draws attention with breathtaking cobblestone streets and architecture dating back to the Ottoman Empire.