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TEHRAN – Iran\u2019s government will continue efforts to remove barriers to rural development and support operators of eco-lodges as part of a broader strategy to revive villages and strengthen local economies and cultural identity, senior officials said on Tuesday at a national conference marking eco-lodge day.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the event in Tehran, Iranian Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Seyyed Reza Salehi-Amiri said the administration viewed rural tourism and eco-lodges as instruments for preserving Iranian identity, promoting social cohesion and revitalizing village life.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government stands alongside rural communities with all its capacity,\u201d Salehi-Amiri said, adding that President Masoud Pezeshkian had identified village revival and the strengthening of indigenous culture and local economies as national priorities.<\/p>\n
Salehi-Amiri described eco-tourism not merely as the construction of accommodation facilities but as \u201ca manifestation of Iranian cultural life\u201d and a platform for rebuilding identity, ethics and social capital across the country.<\/p>\n
He said Iran\u2019s cultural and historical diversity provided significant potential for the development of rural tourism, adding that the country possessed more than one million historical sites, including 43,000 nationally registered heritage sites and 29 UNESCO-listed locations.<\/p>\n
\u201cIranian people have the right to look upon their culture, art, history, music and civilization with pride,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The minister also linked cultural diversity to national unity, saying Iran\u2019s ethnic groups including Kurds, Baluch people, Arabs, Turkmens, Lors and Persians, all contributed to a shared national identity.<\/p>\n
\u201cIran is a land of coexistence among ethnicities, languages and cultures,\u201d Salehi-Amiri said. \u201cThe diversity of music, clothing, rituals and dialects is not a factor of division but a valuable asset for strengthening national cohesion.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the migration of villagers to urban areas in recent decades had weakened traditional Iranian lifestyles and that eco-tourism could help reverse the trend by supporting local economies, preserving handicrafts and encouraging population retention in rural regions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe path to saving villages is targeted support for eco-tourism,\u201d he said. \u201cEvery village with an eco-lodge can become a center for preserving population, creating wealth, transmitting culture and strengthening national identity.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Salehi-Amiri, the government has prepared programs aimed at facilitating loans, easing licensing procedures and supporting employment in villages and small towns.<\/p>\n
He also pointed to increased travel to rural areas during the Nowruz holidays, saying millions of travelers had visited villages and eco-lodges, reflecting growing public interest in experiencing what he described as \u201cauthentic Iranian life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen families stay in villages, they connect with local food, clothing, handicrafts, music and culture and carry those experiences back to cities,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Salehi-Amiri called cultural integration and national cohesion the main outcomes of eco-tourism development, describing eco-lodges as \u201ca national project for reproducing Iranian identity and strengthening social capital.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the same conference, Vice President for Rural Development and Deprivation Reduction Abdolkarim Hosseinzadeh criticized approaches to development focused primarily on infrastructure and construction projects.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor years, we moved forward with the assumption that development would be achieved solely through highways, construction projects and physical infrastructure,\u201d Hosseinzadeh said. \u201cBut development, before being a physical concept, is a political, social and cultural issue.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said sustaining rural communities depended more on social hope and quality of life than on construction projects alone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat matters most today for the sustainability of villages is the feeling of hope and the desire to remain among local people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Hosseinzadeh argued that eco-tourism should move beyond a purely economic model toward what he called a \u201crelationship economy\u201d and an \u201ceconomy of stay,\u201d where human interaction, lived experience and cultural exchange become part of economic value creation.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the current social conditions, if we fail to manage social relations properly, society will face social erosion,\u201d he said. \u201cFrom this perspective, eco-lodges are not merely tourism businesses but capacities for strengthening social solidarity, rebuilding public trust and increasing social belonging.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also called for redefining the government\u2019s approach to poverty reduction, saying \u201cmoney and projects alone do not eliminate deprivation\u201d and that sustainable development depended on empowering local communities and expanding public participation.<\/p>\n
Addressing eco-lodge operators, Hosseinzadeh urged them to identify and document the real capacities of their provinces and villages and involve local residents as the main actors in development projects.<\/p>\n
\u201cSustainable development is not possible without the presence and cooperation of local communities,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Deputy Tourism Minister Anoushirvan Mohseni-Bandpey said support for eco-lodges had become one of the government\u2019s strategic priorities under the administration of President Pezeshkian.<\/p>\n
He described rural tourism as one of the most sustainable segments of Iran\u2019s tourism industry and said the government had established a specialized rural tourism office to coordinate policies, simplify support mechanisms and strengthen local capacities.<\/p>\n
\u201cEco-lodges are not merely accommodation centers,\u201d Mohseni-Bandpey said. \u201cThey are centers for preserving rural identity, indigenous lifestyles, rituals, traditions and Iran\u2019s historical memory.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that eco-lodges could help generate employment, distribute economic opportunities more evenly and reduce excessive rural migration.<\/p>\n
Mohseni-Bandpey said Iran\u2019s climate, cultural diversity and historical heritage made it one of the world\u2019s most capable countries in tourism development.
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\n Yavari Abiri, head of the National Ecolodge Association, said the eco-lodge community could serve as a bridge between the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and the Vice Presidency for Rural Development, enabling a major transformation in rural tourism infrastructure through the integration of tourism and rural development funding.
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\n Abiri said the slogan \u201cOne Village, One Ecolodge\u201d provided the right direction for the development of rural tourism, adding that focusing on villages as tourism destinations was a valuable initiative. However, he stressed that the sector still required serious support and attention.<\/p>\n
Vice President for Women and Family Affairs Zahra Behrouz-Azar said family-run businesses, including eco-lodges, played a critical role in economic sustainability and cultural preservation.
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\n \u201cIn family businesses, social and emotional capital occupy a central place,\u201d Behrouz-Azar said. \u201cFamily reputation, professional authenticity and public trust are values that owners are unwilling to sacrifice even under difficult economic conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n
She described eco-lodges as living centers for preserving and transmitting local languages, customs, cuisine and ways of life to future generations and international audiences.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese operators are guardians of Iran\u2019s historical and civilizational identity,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, presidential social affairs adviser Ali Rabiei said eco-tourism should not be viewed solely through an industrial or economic lens.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe widespread public interest in eco-lodges reflects a growing tendency to return to natural living, simple human relations and local identities,\u201d Rabiei said.<\/p>\n
He said modern society increasingly sought authentic and intimate human experiences amid the complexities of contemporary life.<\/p>\n
\u201cEco-tourism is not merely a place for accommodation and rest,\u201d Rabiei said. \u201cIt is a cultural and social institution for reviving local identity, reproducing indigenous traditions and strengthening the connection of Iranian society with its historical and cultural roots.\u201d
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\n The gathering was attended by hundreds of eco-lodge managers, tour guides, and ethic people and media personnel from across the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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