TEHRAN – The first-ever agritourism permit in Minudasht county has been issued for a vast farm, which is located in the lush green Golestan province in northern Iran, Minudasht tourism director announced on Sunday.

Such permits are granted to eligible farm owners in the country to launch agritourism businesses, aiming to set certain standards in a move to ensure the quality of their services.

“Setting up in an area of 40 hectares, the farm is expected to create jobs for 100 people,” Reza Pourmehdi said, CHTN reported.

The farm includes a greenhouse, gardens of blueberry, olive, pears, peaches, cherries, nectarines, pomegranates, and it has sections for wheat cultivation, and animal breeding, fish farming, and beekeeping, the official explained.

Agritourism is a relatively new branch of the travel industry in which tourists stay with local people 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.

Experts believe that in addition to the customer services jobs, agritourism pays special attention to the production sector, saying 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.

Agritourism and nature-tourism enterprises might include outdoor recreation (fishing, hunting, wildlife study, horseback riding), educational experiences (cannery tours, cooking classes, or tea or coffee tasting), entertainment (harvest festivals or barn dances), hospitality services (farm stays, guided tours, or outfitter services), and on-farm direct sales (u-pick operations or roadside 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.

AFM