Ukraine has identified five villages and towns that will represent the country in the international initiative UN Tourism The Best Tourism Villages 2026. They were selected by the State Agency for Tourism Development of Ukraine together with experts.
The Ukrainian application includes Opishnya in the Poltava region, Vyhoda and Kryvorivnya in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, as well as Medzhybizh and Kitaygorod in the Khmelnytskyi region. Each of these communities has its own tourism specialization – from traditional crafts and Hutsul culture to historical monuments, ecotourism and nature trails.
The Best Tourism Villages initiative is designed to support rural areas that not only welcome tourists but also preserve cultural heritage and local identity, and develop sustainable tourism. For Ukraine, participation in such a selection is another way to show the world that communities have a strong history, traditions, and potential for development.
Participation in The Best Tourism Villages is not limited to the image effect. For communities, it is a chance to gain wider international promotion, draw attention to their tourist routes, and increase interest in Ukrainian cultural heritage abroad. The results of the international selection by UN Tourism are to be announced at the end of 2026.
