By Hani Rastegaran

Qaleh Bala Village: a model of solidarity, creativity, and local development

TEHRAN - Qaleh Bala, a village nestled on the southern slopes of Mount Shahvar where the dry expanse of the desert blends into the wind‑shaped hills of the Kharturan buffer zone, has become one of the most remarkable examples of community‑based rural development in Iran. Its people, who have long struggled with drought, isolation, and lack of infrastructure, have relied on social cohesion and a series of small yet persistent innovations to transform what was once a depopulating settlement into a destination for community‑led ecotourism.

Minister underlines job creation at opening of 5-star hotel in northern Iran

TEHRAN – Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Minister Seyed Reza Salehi-Amiri, has announced that a private sector investment of $150 million in a newly built five-star hotel in Nowshahr has led to the creation of 900 jobs in Mazandaran province, northern Iran. 

30% of Iran’s handicrafts made by nomadic communities

TEHRAN – Some 30% of Iran’s handicrafts are produced by its nomadic communities, according to Mojtaba Mizban, the deputy of infrastructure development at the Nomads Affairs Organization of Iran.

167 tourism projects worth $166 million inaugurated across Iran

TEHRAN – In celebration of World Tourism Day and the start of Iran’s Tourism Week, 167 tourism-related projects have officially been inaugurated in a ceremony attended by Tourism Minister Seyyed Reza Salehi-Amiri.

Welfare Organization facilitates job creation for over 85,000 people

TEHRAN –Over the past year, the Welfare Organization has facilitated the provision of job opportunities for 85,696 individuals by allocating a budget of 120 trillion rials (about $200 million).

426 tourism-related projects up for inauguration during Ten-Day Dawn celebrations

TEHRAN – Iran’s Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts, Ezzatollah Zarghami, has said a total of 426 projects within the three domains of the ministry will be inaugurated during the Ten-Day Dawn celebrations, which marks the 45th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.

207 tourism projects underway in Mazandaran province

TEHRAN – 207 tourism projects, with an estimated value of 369,279 trillion rials (some $738 million), are currently in progress in Mazandaran, the provincial tourism chief said on Tuesday.

Ardabil province set for tourism development

TEHRAN – Iran’s Ardabil province is set to develop its tourism facilities by implementing new projects.

Fairground expected to start new chapter in Alborz tourism

TEHRAN – The construction of an extensive fairground is expected to beef up tourism and the local economy in Alborz province, which borders the Iranian capital Tehran.

Over 2,500 tourism projects worth $7.4 billion underway in Iran, minister says

TEHRAN—More than 2,500 tourism-related projects worth 3.7 quadrillion rials ($7.4 billion) are currently underway across Iran, the tourism minister said on Wednesday.

Relief Foundation committed to creating half a million jobs

TEHRAN - The Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation is committed to creating some 500,000 jobs for financially-struggling families in the current Iranian calendar year that started on March 21.

Charity generates 900,000 job opportunities for the needy

TEHRAN – More than 900,000 job opportunities were created for financially-struggling individuals during the Sixth Five-Year National Development Plan (2016-2021), Morteza Bakhtiari, head of the Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation, announced on Monday.

Over 341,000 jobs created in Iran in 5 months

TEHRAN – Based on the data released on Iran’s national employment monitoring portal, 341,633 job opportunities were created in the country in the first five months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-August 22), ISNA reported.