TEHRAN – Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts has identified over 100 places, mostly near villages and in the countryside, capable of becoming travel destinations in the future.
“More than 100 potential travel destinations have been recently identified in the country, but for the first phase, ten of which will be studied for investment and tourism development,” a tourism official said on Tuesday.
“Through a plan called innovative management of tourist destinations, we are looking to discover new destinations suitable for infrastructure investment,” said Seyyed Mostafa Fatemi.
For the implementation of this plan, teams of experts will be sent to assess travel capacities in terms of essential infrastructure and local communities, Fatemi said.
“So far, studies are underway in some of the identified locations and we intend to train the facilitators before sending them to these areas,” the official explained.
The goals of implementing this plan are to achieve sustainable tourism and pave the way for selected villages to gain UNESCO status, the official said.
When it comes to rural tourism, Iran, which has many pristine yet diverse natural environments, has a lot to offer nature lovers. Rural tourism, as well as agritourism and farm stays can be considered a win-win for both local communities and post-modern travelers seeking unique experiences.
Visitors can stay with a peasant or nomadic family for a while or enjoy an independent stay and help them with daily life. It also opens an opportunity to feel the village routines, agriculture, traditions, arts and culture. Rural tourism, above all, creates the ground for economic development in rural areas by creating additional income and employment. It can also improve social welfare in rural areas.
The World Tourism Organization views rural tourism as a type of activity in which the visitor experience is linked to a wide range of products generally related to nature-based activities, agriculture, rural lifestyle, culture, fishing and hiking. Such tourism also possesses characteristics such as low population density, a landscape dominated by agriculture and forestry, and traditional social structures and lifestyles.
AFM
