A travel expert: Our tours are just for fun

Fars news agency’s women and youth group; Naimah Mohed: Tourism in nature is one of the types of tourism that is carried out with the intention of traveling to nature for enthusiasts and the general public, in a way that people spend their free time by being in different nature tourism environments, including beach tourism, forest tourism, mountain tourism, etc. They make themselves possible in nature and have a positive and important impact on the visited areas in three economic, social and environmental areas.

If we want to talk about the history of nature tourism or nature tourism in Iran, it should be said that according to some orientalists and experts in this field, “Iranian civilization is the result of a very intelligent adaptation to the multiple nature of the Iranian plateau.” In such a way that the main strength of Iran’s tourism industry is some of the customs of the native areas of the country, and the proper identification of these customs will increase the number of nature tours in the country.

Of course, it goes without saying that nature tourism tours started in the country in 2006, and with the increasing interest in this industry, this type of tourism also grew. Of course, the basic principle of nature tourism is based on targeted travel along with cultural and spiritual perceptions, visiting natural attractions and sometimes studying and enjoying various natural phenomena.

The important point in nature tourism is that those interested in this field should follow some principles in this way, such as participating in the preservation and management of legally protected areas, strengthening the participation of local communities in the decision-making process related to determining the type and Adhere to the amount of tourism activities, creating direct economic benefits as well as supplementary incomes for local communities, informing local communities (through education) of the natural values ​​of their lives, etc.; Principles that are the main basis of nature tourists.

In this regard with Ahmad Khorram Toosi, tourist guide We had a conversation and talked about the dos and don’ts of nature tourism in Iran, the need to create infrastructure for the development of nature tourism, the economic benefits of this type of tourism for the country and the difference between nature tourism and ecotourism.

In your opinion, what does nature tourism mean? And are its standards implemented in our country by our compatriots?

In the world, tourism standards are in such a way that it is always necessary to plan a trip, whether it is a classic trip or a city trip to see ancient monuments, buildings, historical places, works of world registration, or a trip in nature; The most important issue that is mentioned in the trip is the purposefulness of that trip. How the trip is targeted usually has different axes and depends on the type of trip.

In any case, the most important point and the basic basis of all tourism flows in the world is also in scoring and targeting the travel plan. If our use of nature is just for fun, it should have a return. For example, many famous and big institutions in the world of nature tourism add a return to their nature tours. For example, they organize a psychotour and invite a psychology professor to a good natural site at a certain time and organize a psychology course in nature, and travelers who spend 3 days on a nature tourism tour spend half a day or certain hours of the day with this psychology professor. They spend time. This story can be held even more simply. Like taking a book with you, adding a podcast or even raising a topic on your trip that can benefit from a targeted tourism stream.

The most important nature tourism tours that are now fashionable in the country are entertainment tours such as desert tours. In order to hold these types of tours, the question must be raised, what is the relationship between the desert and the nature of these tours? If we consider the characteristics of the desert in relation to human relationships, these characteristics include loneliness, endurance, love, patience, etc.; If the form of conducting nature tourism tours in the desert is completely opposite to its nature, it means that we have no opportunity to use the solitude of the desert, and the content and focus of the tours have nothing to do with the destination we went to, and no use is made of the reality of the existence of the desert; This means that the behaviors we do when traveling to the sea and the beach, we also do in the desert, and the same behaviors are done when we travel to the mountains, tourist sites, mosques, and any recreational places we go to.

In your opinion, what are the requirements of tourism in general and nature tourism in particular in the country?

The tour program should have a cultural alternative, even if it is a tour based on entertainment. It is not meant that the tours become a training class and the travelers are given cultural and artistic lessons; Rather, it means that even when you’re having fun, you should have a purposeful, predictable and well-thought-out content. If all tourist sites are treated in the same way, then what is the difference between a tour held in the desert or the forest? Is it just the photographic scenery that is different? We should be aware that a forest site with vitality and good weather needs different content than a desert tourism site.

Why don’t we have any desert tours where there is something special about the desert?

The only thing that rarely happened in some desert tours is stargazing. From my point of view, nature tourism programs should have us in two respects. We need a continuity that unfortunately is sometimes not observed; Because it needs to develop a taste, which in this case our audience is not at all interested in, and holding tours in the country has no cultural connection at all. Yelke has only a commercial and economic attachment, which neither the tourist agency nor the traveler has the patience for.

All factors regarding the creation of a tourism flow want to do the easiest possible way, and the easiest possible way always lacks content. The content does not mean to make the work difficult, by the way, if there is content, the same people who go to have fun and use the desert can create a pleasant and enjoyable situation for their own use in the desert.

Considering that we have many nature tourism fields in the country, why is this category not specifically taken seriously and not given attention to?

The main issue in nature tourism or nature tourism in general is the issue of infrastructure. Our infrastructure in terms of tourism is not very ready and that is why some tourist places are facing problems. For example, in many countries that have developed in the tourist industry, you can easily search for a simple route on the Internet, and this is one of the simplest and most detailed things that does not require civil structures and is more of a virtual structure. Where you can go by car or where you can pitch a tent or camp.

In order to provide this platform as best as possible, a provincial and local decision-making should be formed in each nature tourism area that provides the simplest needs and demands for domestic and foreign tourists.

Some people equate the concept of “ecotourism” with “nature tourism”, what is your opinion about this and what do you know about the difference between these two concepts?

These two concepts are very different. Eco-tourism has a much more comprehensive concept than nature tourism, and the concept of nature tourism is much simpler and does not have specialized discussions. In the world, all observation tours are considered part of ecotour. For example, tours that stay in a place for a few days so that they can see a specific type of an animal species, which in Iran are very rare and almost non-existent. Because there are no ecotour branches in Iran, they are defined as nature tourism.

In ecotourism, we can refer to tours that provide special services for visiting or any other tourism activity, such as watching roaring lakes, because the purpose of this tour is to watch a special event that happened in nature, and this activity is defined under the comprehensiveness of ecotour. Part of which is nature tourism, which has no professional meaning and is more amateurish than ecotour.

What is the need to increase the flow of nature tourism in Iran?

In nature tourism, we need a mechanism or infrastructure. Infrastructures are also of two types; Civil infrastructures and deployment infrastructures. For example, we have to make a hotel, accommodation, restaurant, bathroom, and whatever a traveler or tourist needs as amenities.

Of course, a part of it is the infrastructure that is related to administrative and management mechanisms, such as a series of permits, determining the hours of visits, making tourism maps, etc., which does not require field operations and is more related to decision making and information. Accurate reporting and creation of a regular virtual website is required, which we still do not have the necessary preparation for in nature tourism.

In the last few years, domestic tours and trips have multiplied and prospered in the country. In such a way that people have turned to travel and their acceptance of the flow of tourism and its various types has made us realize our strengths and weaknesses in this direction.

In the end, please tell me, considering that there are no exact statistics, but in your opinion, how much are the economic benefits of nature tourism for the country? And how far is it from its ideal?

In the discussion of tourism benefits, we have no choice but to create infrastructure to provide better services. These places should be handed over to the private sector so that the process of activity in these areas can proceed properly. Our country has a lot of potential in terms of tourism and in order to be able to use this potential to earn money, it should be done with the aim of improving the condition of railroads and create conditions so that in the first stage we can have the right levels in the flow of tourism, including nature tourism, based on The services it provides can earn money as well.

Of course, it cannot be said that this railway does not exist in any part of this area. Some specific rail tourism sites and services have been regularly defined for themselves to generate income based on it. In this regard, the main problem arises when this income generation is limited only to the amount you pay for the entrance fee for a village or tourist area, which also belongs to the rural village.

For more efficiency and income, it is necessary to add additional services in tourism and nature tourism sites and each of them can generate income separately. These additional services do not include supermarkets, souvenirs and handicrafts. For example, services such as photography and filming in a special and special way, balloon flight and palagrider, etc., include added value that leads to earning more money and revitalizing tourist sites and places.

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