TEHRAN –A festival dedicated to the Iranian traditional wrestling of Bachukheh was held in Dargaz, the northeastern Khorasan Razavi province, on Saturday, marking the national tourism week (September 27-October 3).

The region holds the potential to develop sports tourism as well as agritourism and nature tourism, the deputy provincial tourism chief has said.

However, the tourism infrastructure needs to be improved and more investments need to be made in these fields, Yousef Bidkhori explained on Sunday.

Bachukheh is one of the most famous local sports in Iran and is popular in North Khorasan province. In this region, many local ceremonies, especially weddings, involve this native sport, which has an ancient history.

Back in September, Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Minister Ezzatollah Zarghami announced that the Iranian traditional wrestling of Bachukheh can become a World Heritage.

It is possible to register Bachukheh wrestling globally due to its rules and the manner in which the matches are held, he said.

As a traditional sport, Bachukheh wrestling has much potential due to how wrestlers dress, the special rules, and the age of the sport, he added.

Sports events of various kinds and sizes attract tourists as participants or spectators and destinations try to add local flavors to them to distinguish themselves and provide authentic local experiences.

Mega sports events such as the Olympics and World Cups can be a catalyst for tourism development if successfully leveraged in terms of destination branding, infrastructure development, and other economic and social benefits.

ABU/MG