Lorestan rural tourism boasts local economy

Tehran, Aug 25, IRNA - Villagers constitute 40 percent of the population of Lorestan Province in western Iran. There are 2,864 villages across the province, of which 44 are model villages. Sangtarashan Village has preserved its traditional texture. It has a prehistoric site with a 3,000-year-old temple. Bisheh Village boasts tourism structure, easy access, local resorts, restaurant, police station and railroad. Ata Hassanpour, an expert of Lorestan Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Department, said the topographic characteristic of the village and the houses has made it a model village. Given the location of the village on a steep foothill, the rooftops of lower houses are the courtyard of upper houses, he added. Also Deputy Head of Lorestan Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Department Dianoosh Cheraghi said Lorestan Province has high potentials for promoting ecotourism and anthropology. There are 44 model villages, of which 12 have been approved by Iran Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, he said. The implementation of 10 ecotourism resorts is underway in the province and they have shown physical progress of over 60 percent, he added. Currently, ecotourism resorts are active across provincial cities such as Khorammabad, Boroujerd and Aligoudarz, he said. Head of Lorestan Housing Foundation Masoud Rezaei said one of the responsibilities of the foundation is to identify villages with tourism potentials in cooperation with ICHHTO and draw up and implement development plans for them, Iran Daily wrote. Ecotourism, or rural tourism, is not confined to watching nature. It is, in fact, to familiarize the tourists with customs, cuisines and lifestyles of villagers. Lorestan Province is a province in the Zagros Mountains. Follow us on Twitter @IrnaEnglish