Ecotourism is also considered a proper way to spend less on travel and get acquainted with natural beauties, traditions, handicrafts, clothing, and foods of every region.
Iranians have attached importance to cultural and environmental capacities of ecotourism as well as providing residents of an area with the opportunity to earn money via ecotourism services, so ecotourism resorts have been welcomed in Iran in recent years.
Sanandaj city in Kordestan Province has been one of the pioneers in setting up ecotourism resorts. The first ecotourism resort was established in Dulab Village in 2017.
Given the fact that Huraman or Uraman mountainous area, situated between Kurdistan and Kermanshah provinces have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List and that Sanandaj county has been proposed to be registered as a UNESCO Creative City of Music, Kordestan Province enjoys special attractions for Iranian and foreign tourists.
Ya'ghoub Goylian, tthe director general of the Administration of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism in Kordestan Province, said that the province has prepared 32 ecotourism resorts for Nowruz (the two-week long holidays from March 21 to April 2).
Saeed Sajjadi, a professor of tourism industry at Kurdistan University, told IRNA that ecotourism is a way of showing responsibility when it comes to visiting nature to promote environment conservation as well as provide local people with better opportunities for occupation and economic welfare.
The university professor called for using less fossil fuels in ecotourism resorts, noting that the philosophy of setting up such resorts is to protect and respect earth, humans, and culture of indigenous people.
Around 2,000 historical heritages, natural caves, old trees, etc. have been discovered in Kordestan Province, 950 of which have been registered on national heritage list.
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