UN Launches Digital Self-Assessment Tool for Rural Tourist Destinations
On May 20, 2024, in the Middle East, UN Tourism launched an innovative digital self-assessment tool aimed at developing tourism in rural areas. The tool includes various modules that cover best practices in sustainable tourism, marketing strategies, and infrastructure development.
The UN Tourism Self-Assessment Tool to Assist Rural Destinations, known as STAR, allows local authorities in rural regions to evaluate and measure their tourism development levels. It offers tailored recommendations, benchmarks different destinations, and generates valuable data and analytics for Member States to improve sustainable and inclusive tourism policies.
The STAR tool is available for all rural destinations in UN Tourism Member States. It is designed for local authorities interested in assessing their tourism development and receiving customized recommendations for implementing sustainable, inclusive, and smart tourism models.
The tool provides a customized guide with recommendations that meet UN Tourism standards and consider the unique characteristics of rural destinations. STAR offers extensive data for Member States, allowing for an in-depth analysis of destinations undergoing assessment. It highlights strengths and weaknesses in local tourism policies, strategies, and interventions, helping local, regional, and national authorities improve their approaches in rural areas.
STAR is part of the broader UN Tourism Programme for Rural Development, which aims to use tourism as a driving force for the development and well-being of rural areas. This initiative values and preserves rural villages, landscapes, knowledge systems, and cultural diversity, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals by promoting innovative and transformative approaches to tourism development in rural destinations.
By providing a structured and informative approach to assessing and improving tourism strategies, the STAR tool will change the way rural destinations plan and implement their tourism policies, ensuring sustainable and inclusive growth for these communities.