TEHRAN – Pakdasht county in the southeast of the Iranian capital is planned to turn into a flower and plants tourism area, the county’s tourism chief has said.

One of the most important agricultural hubs in Tehran province, Pakdasht cultivates more than 17,000 hectares, of which 1,500 are greenhouses, Asadollah Tajik explained on Sunday.

There are 1.2 billion cut flowers produced in greenhouses in the county each year, which are exported to different countries, the official added.

Turning into a tourism area could boost agritourism in the region as well as generate job opportunities and create sustainable income for the locals, he mentioned.

Back in September, Tehran’s tourism chief Parham Janfeshan said that plans are underway to promote agritourism in Pakdasht county.

Pakdasht has high potential to attract nature lovers and sightseers as it embraces numerous gardens and flowerbeds, he added.

Agritourism is a relatively new branch of the travel industry in which tourists stay with locals in rural areas. Farm/ranch recreation refers to activities conducted on private agricultural lands, which might include fee-hunting and fishing, overnight stays, educational activities, etc.

Agritourism and nature-the travel industry ventures could incorporate outside diversion (fishing, hunting, untamed life review, horseback riding), instructive encounters (cannery visits, cooking classes, or tea or espresso tasting), amusement (gather celebrations or animal dwelling place moves), friendliness administrations (ranch stays, directed visits, or supplier administrations), and on-ranch direct deals (u-pick activities or side of the road stands).

Agritourism is a subset of a larger industry called rural tourism that includes resorts, off-site farmers' markets, non-profit agricultural tours, and other leisure and hospitality businesses that attract visitors to the countryside.

Rural tourism is said to differ from agritourism in some ways. For instance, rural tourism enterprises do not necessarily occur on a farm or ranch, or at an agricultural plant. They do not generate supplemental income for the agricultural enterprise.

To cite an example, we could refer to saffron farms in northeast Iran that are going to fame as a new destination for agritourism. Iranian Saffron is known as the “red gold”. Saffron is a magical ingredient in Persian culture, from aromatic foods and colorful desserts to physical and spiritual medicine.

Experts believe that agritourism pays special attention to the production sector, saying “For this reason, agricultural tourism is much more important and practical than other branches of tourism because it creates a new chain and diversity in the field of production and services.”

ABU/AM