TEHRAN – Iran’s Alborz province, which is situated 10 km west of Tehran, has selected 50 of its villages to become new destinations for rural tourism.

The presence of tourists in the target villages opens up suitable opportunities for employment and the local economy, and this opportunity should be grasped in the right way, IRNA quoted a provincial official as saying on Thursday.

Home to 277 villages, the province embraces some 40 eco-lodges units that provide cozy yet wallet-friendly accommodation for nature lovers, the report said.

Over the past few years, increasing numbers of visitors seek something different, such as spending a day in the quiet countryside, picking fresh fruit, watching rice grow, fishing by the sea, eating traditional food or even staying with the locals.

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) considers rural tourism to be a type of activity in which the visitor's experience is linked to a wide range of products typically associated with activities related to nature, agriculture, rural lifestyle, culture, fishing, and tourism. This type of tourism also has characteristics such as low population density, mainly agricultural and forestry landscape, social structure, and traditional way of life.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili has said the “uniqueness” of each village makes tourism a vehicle for further development in rural areas.

“We wanted to recognize the uniqueness of each village and highlight the best initiatives to make tourism a vehicle for a better future in the countryside. As we restart tourism, we try not to leave anyone – and no village – left behind.”

AFM