TEHRAN – The idea of staying at an eco-lodge has been welcomed by thousands of travelers to Golestan province, northern Iran.

“[Many] travelers to Golestan province have welcomed staying at eco-lodges as some 33,000 people have been accommodated during the first half of the current [Iranian calendar] year (Mar. 21- Sep. 22),” a local tourism official Ahmad Tajari said, CHTN reported.

“Such eco-lodges are a source of sustainable employment, yet they help to increase household income, especially in rural areas of the province,” he explained.

Iran’s tourism body said in 2018 that 2,000 eco-lodges will be constructed countrywide until 2021. Experts say each eco-lodge unit generates jobs for seven to eight people on the average so that the scheme could create 160,000 jobs.

Having a very diverse natural setting, Iran offers varied excursions to nature lovers. Sightseers may live with a nomad or rural family or enjoy an independent stay. The country is home to abundant historical mansions, caravanserais, bathhouses, madrasas, and other massive monuments, which can buttress its budding tourism and hospitality sectors if managed appropriately and refurbished properly.

AFM/MG