Shahroud to Host National Ecotourism Day Celebration

According to the reporter of Miras Arya, Jalal Tajik, on Tuesday, May 11, 2026, in a press conference with media professionals and virtual space activists, he elaborated on the latest status of the strategic projects and upcoming events of this general directorate. The Director General of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts of Semnan Province, in the most important part of his speech, announced the stunning success of the Qaleh Bala tourist village in international arenas and added: The file of this village has been sent as one of Iran's eight final representatives for registration in the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), and fortunately, Qaleh Bala has taken the lead on this list with a significant margin by achieving the highest score in the standard indicators. He pointed out the participation of 66 countries in this competitive event and added: It is expected that by the end of Tir, the name of Qaleh Bala will be officially announced as Semnan's global tourism brand, which will bring about a fundamental transformation in the local economy of the region. Tajik further announced the hosting of the grand national ecotourism celebration by this province and stated: This national event will be held with the presence of 350 top ecotourism activists and prominent tour leaders from all over Iran. The Director General of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts of Semnan Province stated: The programs for this event began on the evening of May 19th with the presentation of the 'Cypress' symbol to the Governor of Semnan at the ministry, and the main ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 20th, in the village of Qaleh Bala, Shahroud, with the performance of local rituals and music. He noted: This event is the largest tourism program in the province since the war, designed with the aim of creating social vitality and momentum in the tourism business sector. In another part of the conference, Tajik referred to the importance of archaeological findings in the province and said: The Qousheh site is a vast and vital civilization reservoir, and according to expert assessments, this region is on par with the Jiroft World Heritage site and requires special attention at the national level and allocation of excavation funds. The Director General of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts of Semnan Province, explaining the new strategy of the general directorate to prevent resource wastage, emphasized the completion of semi-finished projects and added: The completion of the Semnan Museum building, the opening of the Damghan Museum, and handicraft bazaars are among the executive priorities. He stated: Regarding the Ab-Garm tourist area, our most serious challenge is access, as the private sector investor cannot afford to invest in public infrastructure, and we are seeking to attract government participation to solve this long-standing problem. Tajik announced the upcoming visit of the Deputy Minister of Cultural Heritage to the province next week, saying: During this visit, the macro challenges of all three fields of heritage, tourism, and handicrafts in the province will be examined in the field to make appropriate decisions for Semnan's infrastructural leap. The Director General of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts of Semnan Province concluded by appreciating the watchdog role of the media professionals, noting that introducing Semnan's unique potentials and attracting national support can only be achieved through synergy between executive bodies and the power of the media. Following the press conference, Mohammad Taherian, Deputy Director of Tourism for this general directorate, elaborated on the dimensions of holding the second National Ecotourism Celebration of the country and stated: The second National Ecotourism Celebration of the country is held with the aim of strengthening rural tourism and introducing Iran's indigenous capacities, and it can play an effective role in creating renewed momentum in the country's tourism flow. The Deputy Director of Tourism for the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts of Semnan Province, stating that this event has been planned at a level beyond a provincial program, added: The National Ecotourism Celebration is one of Iran's important tourism events, the first round of which was held last year, and this year its second round will be hosted by Semnan Province and held in the Qaleh Bala tourist village. He considered ecotourism as one of the most important and popular forms of tourist accommodation in the world and stated: Ecotourism is not just about staying in a tourist unit; rather, it encompasses a set of cultural, biological, ritual, and social elements of each region and helps introduce the indigenous lifestyle and cultural authenticity. Taherian also referred to the connection of this event with the global registration file of Qaleh Bala village and said: Holding such a program can be effective in strengthening the global file of this village, as one of the important indicators in evaluating tourist villages is the number of events, national repercussions, and the tourism flow generated in that region. The Deputy Director of Tourism for the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts of Semnan Province, referring to the unique features of Qaleh Bala village, stated: This village is located adjacent to one of the most important habitats of the Iranian cheetah, and this, along with its indigenous culture and nature-compatible lifestyles, has become one of the important advantages of this region in the field of tourism. Also, Nasibeh Hemmati, Deputy Director of Management and Resource Development of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts of Semnan Province, announced at this press conference, referring to the organization of administrative and historical spaces related to the province's Cultural Heritage General Directorate: With the follow-ups carried out and the support of the Director General of Provincial Cultural Heritage, the historical house of Tadayyon was handed over to the General Directorate from the Preservation and Revival Fund, and as of yesterday, the Cultural Heritage Department of Semnan city has been established in this complex. The Deputy Director of Management and Resource Development of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts of Semnan Province added: The previous space of the city department was limited and unsuitable and did not meet the needs of colleagues and applicants, but now the historical house of Tadayyon provides better conditions for providing services. She pointed out the cultural capacities of this historical complex and said: Part of the spaces in the Tadayyon House has been allocated for the establishment of organizations in the fields of tourism, cultural heritage, and handicrafts, so that these groups can pursue their activities in a suitable space. Hemmati stated: Previously, the Semnan Historical Fabric Base did not have an independent and specific space, and its activities were carried out within the General Directorate complex, but now a part of Tadayyon House has been dedicated to this base. The Deputy Director of Management and Resource Development of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts of Semnan Province referred to the finalization of the handicraft bazaar and the felt-making complex of Semnan and said: This project faced numerous legal problems and disputes in previous years, but with the follow-up of the legal department of the General Directorate, the existing problems were resolved and the related building was repossessed. She added: This complex is now in the execution of judgment phase, and after completing the legal procedures, it will be made available to investors through the Samt system for completion and operation. Hemmati also announced the upgrade of the organizational structure of the provincial General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and stated: With the follow-ups carried out at the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, 74 new specialized organizational positions have been added to the structure of the Semnan Provincial General Directorate. The Deputy Director of Management and Resource Development of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts of Semnan Province explained: These positions have been added to the organizational chart of the General Directorate, and currently, the stages of obtaining the necessary permits for attracting and providing specialized personnel are underway. She concluded her remarks by referring to the planning for the proper utilization of the province's historical buildings and said: Regarding some complexes, including Adab House, studies have been conducted, and based on these, administrative use alone cannot meet the cultural and historical capacities of these buildings. Therefore, it has been planned that these buildings will be leased to the private sector with residential and catering use through the Samt Iran system, so that people can also benefit from the capacity of these historical spaces. Samaneh Soltanipour, Deputy Director of Handicrafts and Traditional Arts of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts of Semnan Province, stated at a meeting with media professionals, referring to the measures taken in 1404 (2025-2026): During this period, 52 handicraft bazaars and exhibitions were held in various parts of Semnan province, which played an important role in introducing the capabilities of artists and promoting local products. The Deputy Director of Handicrafts and Traditional Arts of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts of Semnan Province added: Also, more than one thousand and 240 people in the province, from Ivankey to Miyami, were trained in free handicraft courses, and more than 30 specialized training courses were held in various handicraft fields. She stated: One of the important developments in this field in recent years has been the significant growth in the number of works with the National Seal of Excellence. Soltanipour explained: While over the past approximately 12 years, a total of 62 works by the province's handicraft artists had received the National Seal of Excellence, since 1402 (2023-2024) until now, 81 works by the province's artists have achieved this valuable distinction, which indicates the elevation of Semnan's handicraft status at the national level. Following this press conference, Seyed Mohammad Sadegh Razavian, Head of the Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Department of Shahroud County, considered the success of Qaleh Bala village in achieving the first rank among the eight selected villages in the country for global competition as the result of extensive teamwork and said: Qaleh Bala's achievement of the first rank in the country is the result of more than 15 months of continuous effort, coordination, and cooperation of various groups at the provincial and Shahroud county levels. The Head of the Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Department of Shahroud County, referring to the process of compiling the global file of this village, said: Several distinct and creative axes for introducing Qaleh Bala's capacities, including attention to public protection of the region's wildlife, the social role of village women in handicrafts and the environment, and the development of tourism while preserving the historical texture and cultural identity of the region, etc., have made it prominent in this file. He also referred to some of the special features of this village and said: The culture of public participation in protecting nature and wildlife, including actions such as allocating part of the local fodder and resources for feeding the region's wildlife, are among the valuable cultural and environmental indicators of Qaleh Bala. Razavian considered the village's location adjacent to the Turan Protected Area as another important advantage and stated: Proximity to one of the country's most important natural habitats has created significant capacities for the development of nature-based tourism in this region. At the end of this press conference, Hadi Izadfar, Head of the Professional Association of Ecotourism and Traditional Accommodation of Semnan Province, stated that Semnan is a special province in the field of tourism and said: I have repeatedly said that Semnan Province can become the first tourism province in Iran, but achieving this goal requires empathy and cooperation from all organizations, the private sector, the media, and tourism activists. The Head of the Professional Association of Ecotourism and Traditional Accommodation of Semnan Province, referring to the extensive capacities of the province, stated: Semnan occupies about 6% of Iran's land and has hundreds of registered historical buildings, each of which can become a tourism brand. He added: Semnan Province covers about 700 kilometers of the Tehran-Mashhad route, and annually about 20 million passengers and pilgrims pass through this province without any advertising or cost, but our art should be to attract at least 10% of this population to the province's tourism capacities. Izadfar emphasized: Achieving this goal is only possible with the cooperation of all sectors, and media professionals, executive officials, the private sector, and tourism activists must join hands to bring Semnan to its true position in the country's tourism.