TEHRAN—A total of 21 farms in the northern province of Golestan have received agritourism permits, the provincial tourism chief has said.

The farms are estimated to generate over 180 job opportunities for the locals, CHTN quoted Mohammad Javad Savari as saying on Wednesday.

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

Due to its diverse climate, rich agricultural products, and eco-lodge units in the mountains, plains, and desert slopes, Golestan province is unique in agritourism, the official added.

Agritourism was launched in Golestan province as a pilot project in 2019, and the province was the first in the country that issued agritourism permits, he noted.

Among the objectives of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts is to diversify tourism products in order to take advantage of all the country’s tourism resources, he explained.

In this regard, agritourism is seen as one of the main axes of development in the province, and combining agriculture and tourism in agritourism projects can help both sectors grow economically, he mentioned.

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.

ABU/AM