Circassians in traditional garb, Kfar Kama (Wikipedia)
For the first time, Israel has joined the prestigious club of countries with villages that have received international recognition as a ‘tourist village’ by the UN World Tourism Organization. The Circassian community of Kfar Kama in Israel has been selected by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to be included in its exclusive 2022 list of tourist villages recommended to visit. Circassians are a group of about 5,000 Sunni Muslims who live in Israel’s and whose ancestors came from the Caucuses.
Kfar Kama encompasses a historic narrative about the Circassian community living near the Kfar Tabor, which was founded over 150 years ago by Muslim Circassians, originating from the Caucasus. The village, which is one of two such Circassian villages in Israel, (the other is Rehaniya), allows the tourist to travel through a time tunnel. The village features unique architecture and a museum of Circassian culture. This, alongside the conservation of the community’s heritage and culture, including dance performances, tourist festivals and the opportunity for tourists to savor unique culinary dishes and experience a unique culture.
The village, whose tourist infrastructure has been renovated with the assistance of the Ministry of Tourism, is full of restaurants, family riding attractions, a dairy offering workshops on cheese making processes and the Circassian Heritage Conservation Center, which offers tours of the old village alleyways, a sound and light show and tastings from the Circassian cuisine.
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The objective of the UN competition, now in its second year, is to promote and enhance the role of tourism in safeguarding rural villages (up to 15,000 residents), along with their landscapes, natural and cultural diversity, knowledge systems, and local values and activities, including gastronomy. At the same time, the initiative also promotes transformative approaches to the development of tourism in rural destinations that contribute to sustainable development goals.
130 requests from 57 countries were submitted for the prestigious title, including the proposals of the Israeli Ministry of Tourism. In the procedure led by the Deputy Director-General Kobi Barda, and the Director of International Relations Nira Fisher, the Israeli Ministry of Tourism filed nominations for three locations, including Kibbutz Neot Smadar in the Negev, which was included in the organization’s upgrade program, and will be closely supported in order to submit a nomination for next year to win recognition. The candidacy of Zippori did not receive recognition. The final list of the winning villages will be published on January 20, 2023.
The international recognition is expected to generate an increase in tourism and development of the rural space, especially in the vicinity of the winning village.
The UNWTO ceremony will take place on February 27-28, 2023.
Israel’s Tourism Minister Yoel Razvozov said, “The recognition of Kfar Kama as a tourist village puts Israel alongside other famous tourist sites around the world, The choice of the village by the UNWTO will transform it into a center for pilgrimage by many tourists and will have an important positive impact on the rural surroundings in the Galilee.”
