Ecotourism is not only about residing in a rental place in nature, but it consists of experiencing social relations, music, foodو and many other cultural and social characteristics of a region.
Hosting visitors in a standard place is a kind of hospitality, which has a long history in Iran, because there were some caravanserais throughout the country, where travelers could stay and rest in the middle of their trips.
The development of such tourism can pave the way for locals to find jobs inside their own region and encourage them to preserve their cultural heritage, traditions, and nature of that area.
Ecotourism in Bushehr
Four years after setting up the first ecotourism residential units in Bushehr, there are now 56 units in the city.
Sakineh Salari, deputy provincial tourism chief, said that Bushehr Province has spent nearly four million dollars to set up ecotourism residential units in a bid to bolster rural tourism in the province.
Ecotourism has helped prosper economic and social situation of the region, increase income in rural areas and encourage reverse migration of youths from cities to villages, she noted.
The industry has also created 112 direct jobs and more than 140 indirect occupations, the official went on to say.
Shayan Bahrami, the chairman of Bushehr Ecotourism Society, told IRNA that ecotourism can turn into a new kind of tourism in Bushehr, because the province has the longest water border along with the Persian Gulf, dense palm groves, salt domes, and other tourist attractions.
According to Salari, ecotourism residential units were able to fill 80 percent of their capacity before the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, but the number declined to 15-30 percent in last Iranian year (ending on March 20, 2021).
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