Criteria for selecting the most beautiful villages and towns in Russia and their role in the socio-economic development of rural areas

The brand "The most beautiful Villages" unites settlements with outstanding rural cultural and natural heritage, whose population strives to use it to improve the quality of life through the development of tourism, agriculture, gastronomy, crafts and trade. This model has proved to be very successful and has gained supporters in many countries with different levels of development and different cultures. The national associations of the most beautiful villages and towns in France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Russia, Lebanon, China and other countries are united in the Federation of the most beautiful Villages and Towns in the World. The Federation of the Most Beautiful Villages has become one of the best platforms for the exchange of experience of advanced and proven methods of tourism development in rural areas, a recognized quality mark in the world. Within the framework of this study, the authors analyzed the criteria for selecting the most beautiful villages of national associations and, based on the studied experience, presented 10 groups of selection criteria for the association of the most beautiful villages and towns in Russia, compliance with which contributes to the socio-economic development of rural areas.