Telangana's Pochampally recognised by UNWTO among world's best tourism villages

On Tuesday, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) named Pochampally village in Telangana as one of the best tourism villages in the world. The prestigious award will be presented on December 2, 2021, in Madrid, Spain, at the UNWTO General Assembly's 24th session. G Kishan Reddy, the Union Minister of Culture, Tourism and Development of the North Eastern Region (DoNER), congratulated the villagers and said, "Pochampally’s unique weaving styles and patterns received special focus through Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mantra of Vocal 4 Local as a part of Atma Nirbhar Bharat."

"On behalf of the people of Pochampally in particular and the people of Telangana, I am grateful that this award has been bestowed on the village of Pochampally. I am also grateful to the Ministry officials for presenting the case for Pochampally and other entries effectively," added the Minister.

'Best tourism village' award to Pochampally village

The UNWTO's Best Tourism Villages Pilot initiative aims to recognise and reward villages that are great examples of rural tourism and demonstrate best practices in each of the nine evaluation areas.

It also intends to help villages increase their rural tourism potential by providing training and access to improvement possibilities. The Ministry of Tourism has suggested three villages for India's entry into the UNWTO Best Tourism Village competition. Kongthong in Meghalaya, Ladhpura Khas in Madhya Pradesh, and Pochampally in Telangana were the locations. The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) presented Pochampally with an award. Pochampally is a town in the Nalgonda district of Telangana, 50 kilometres from Hyderabad, and is known as the Silk City of India because of the gorgeous sarees woven in a distinctive design known as Ikat. Pochampally Ikat was designated as a Geographical Indicator (GI Status) in 2004.

World Tourism Organization

The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is a specialised agency of the United Nations tasked with promoting responsible, sustainable, and universally accessible tourism. Its headquarters are in Madrid, Spain. It is the world's leading international tourist organisation, promoting tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development, and environmental sustainability, as well as providing industry leadership and support in the advancement of knowledge and tourism policy around the world.

(with inputs from ANI)

Image: ANI