Les Plus Beaux Villages de France

Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (French pronunciation: [le ply bo vilaʒ də fʁɑ̃s], lit.

Membership requires meeting certain selection criteria and offers a strategy for development and promotion to tourists.

He decided to launch an association that would unite villages to give them a public face and revitalise their economies.

Many competing certifications exist in France, differentiated by their targets (e.g. level of population), stringency of criteria and the cost of membership.

The association believes in improving life in French countryside and it places an emphasis on bringing back economical activities to villages.

Many villages can be considered dead when most of their houses are either in ruins or transformed into holiday properties by foreigners or French people living in other regions.

[6] The association asks candidate municipalities to fill out an application form for the village or hamlet they wish to see receive the label.

They create a record of pictures and documents about the locality and consider its appearance (architecture, urbanism, facilities for welcoming tourists, environment quality).