Evaluating and enhancing rural tourism strategies: online tool by UN Tourism
The Self-Assessment Tool to Assist Rural Destinations (STAR) by UN Tourism is a digital platform aimed at empowering public authorities in rural areas to evaluate and enhance their tourism development strategies.
Image by Marcin Jozwiak, 2019, on Pexels
The STAR tool enables public authorities in rural destinations to assess their performance across five axes:
- Tourism governance;
- Economic, social, and cultural sustainability;
- Environmental sustainability;
- Tourism development; and
- Infrastructure.
This structured evaluation helps identify strengths and areas for improvement, guiding stakeholders in strategic planning, policymaking and performance measurement.
Upon completing the self-assessment, destinations receive customised recommendations aligned with UN Tourism standards. STAR also supports benchmarking, allowing public authorities to compare their performance with ideal scenarios, fostering continuous improvement and the adoption of best practices.
Additionally, STAR provides valuable data and insights for UN Tourism Member States, offering aggregated analytics on participating destinations. This information sheds light on the strengths and weaknesses of local governments in tourism policies, strategies, and interventions, laying the groundwork for enhancements by local, regional, and national authorities in rural areas.
STAR is exclusively available to public authorities or their delegates in rural destinations within the UNWTO Member States. The tool is intended for public authorities, Destination Management Organisations (DMOs), and official representatives of rural destinations.
In February 2025, Peru became the first UN Tourism Member State to customise STAR at the national level. This step aligns with national efforts to strengthen rural tourism planning and management, including the initiative ‘Pueblos con Encanto’ which promotes the recognition and development of tourism in rural communities.
STAR is part of UN Tourism's Tourism for Rural Development Programme. The overall goal of the Programme is to advance the role of tourism in valuing and safeguarding rural villages along with their associated landscapes, knowledge systems, biological and cultural diversity, local values, and activities.
Watch a short explanatory video on YouTube.
Author: Tourism for Rural Development Programme, UN Tourism