Ecotourism is an industry that has developed hugely in recent years. Promoting ecotourism is a way of creating an economic reason to protect natural areas, in addition to increasing awareness of the value of our natural resources. Generally, ecotourism deals with living parts of the natural environments. Ecotourism focuses on socially responsible travel, personal growth, and environmental sustainability. Ecotourism typically involves travel to destinations where flora, fauna, and cultural heritage are the primary attractions. Ecotourism is intended to offer tourists an insight into the impact of human beings on the environment and to foster a greater appreciation of our natural habitats. Responsible ecotourism programs include those that minimize the negative aspects of conventional tourism on the environment and enhance the cultural integrity of local people. Therefore, in addition to evaluating environmental and cultural factors, an integral part of ecotourism is the promotion of recycling, energy efficiency, water conservation, and creation of economic opportunities for local communities. For these reasons, ecotourism often appeals to advocates of environmental and social responsibility.
Ecotourism activities are gradually becoming popular in Iran. Popular ecotourism activities in Iran include trekking in mountains (such as Mount Damavand, Alam Kuh, Sabalan, Dena), desert treks (such as Dahst-e Kavir, Mesr Desert, Maranjab Desert, Shahdad Desert), bird watching in coastal areas and wetlands, and diving in Kish Island and Qeshm Island.
Although Iran has remarkable biodiversity, major limitations including lack of educational programs and infrastructure, have contributed to the slowing of the development of Iran ecotourism. In 2006, the Iran Cultural Heritage, Handicraft and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO) created the National Committee of Ecotourism as the first specialist team focusing on ecotourism.
According to country's need for trained personnel, healthy growth of ecotourism in Iran and the lack of training, Arasbaran decided to hold ecotour guide training course which is a short-term ecotourism course with the approval of Iran Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization in which subjects relevant to the nature protection, the interests of local communities and sustained economic productivity of these resources are discussed.
Ecotour Guides training course aims to train up interested young people to become on-site guides for the tourism industry. These guides will go through a series of intensive training including itinerary planning, tour observation and will be under frequent reviews. Ecotour guides have a tendency to be interested in environmentalism, ecology, wildlife, and nature. They need to be mature, responsible, and open to other cultures and beliefs. They should be extremely organized with a lot of self-confidence, and be skilled at hiking, camping, boating, horseback riding, or plant and animal identification. Ecotour guides should also be logical thinkers, who can react to difficult situations calmly and professionally. Through the development of qualified ecotour guides Arasbaran wishes to achieve its ultimate goal of promoting the unique cultural and natural beauty of Iran. By providing ecotour training to Iran travel guides, we can reduce potential conflicts over use of resources and the inadvertent damage to animals, plants and natural areas often associated with Iran tourism. This course will introduce you to aspects of ecotourism such as guiding environmental awareness, planning tours, interpretive aids, plant and animal interpretation. In fact by taking eco tour guide training course you will be able to recognize factors of the environment and their significance to ecotourism. Plus it would lead you to the development of innovative concepts in interpretation for a selected aquatic ecotourism activity and identification of geological and geo-morphological factors of interest to ecotourists. To gain experience and skills, several field trips such as principles of the establishment and survival in nature, introduction to plants, birds, reptiles and mammals of Iran and geology trip will be held during this course.
This is a 9-month course which consists of 26 subjects including:
- Ecotourism basics
- Introduction to Iran’s geological diversity
- Introduction to arthropods and butterfly watching
- Introduction to Iran aquatics
- Introduction to reptiles and amphibians
- Introduction to birds of Iran and bird-watching
- Introduction to mammals of Iran
- Introduction to plants of Iran
- Crisis management and response to emergencies
- Techniques of establishment in nature and navigation
- Tour techniques and skills
- Behavioral and etiquette patterns in tourism
- Familiarity with local communities and the principles of facilitation
- Understanding nations spirits
- Tourism industry recognition
- Ecotourism technical language
- Iran ecosystems and nature geography
- Introduction to the ecology and conservation
- Introduction to the rules and regulations of tour
- Principles of heritage interpretation
- Projects management with ecotourism purposes
- Introduction to the cultural and spiritual heritage
- Climatology
- Familiarity with nature equipment
- Introduction to astronomy and constellations
- Photography and Imaging in nature
Graduates of the ecotour guide course, after passing the final general examination, will receive the professional ecotour certificate issued by the Cultural Heritage, handicrafts and Tourism organization of Iran. Then, they will start their career as ecotour guides in tourism industry.
Iran has various natural attractions such as temperate forests in the north with high humidity and rainfall, deserts and salt lakes in the central part of Iran, high mountains, glaciers and coastal areas. The existence of a large cultural diversity is another important characteristic that can attracts ecotourists to Iran.
Iran consists of the Iranian Plateau with the exception of the coasts of the Caspian Sea and Khuzestan Province. The northern part of Iran is covered by dense rain forests called Shomal or the Jungles of Iran. The eastern part consists mostly of desert basins such as the Dasht-e Kavir, Iran's largest desert, in the north-central portion of the country, and the Dasht-e Lut, in the east, as well as some salt lakes. This is because the mountain ranges are too high for rain clouds to reach these regions. The only large plains are found along the coast of the Caspian Sea and at the northern end of the Persian Gulf, where Iran borders the mouth of the Arvand River. Smaller, discontinuous plains are found along the remaining coast of the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman.
The wildlife of Iran is composed of several animal species, including bears, gazelles, wild pigs, wolves, jackals, panthers, Eurasian lynx, and foxes. The domestic animals of Iran include sheep, goats, cattle, horses, water buffaloes, donkeys, and camels. Pheasants, partridges, storks, eagles, and falcons are also native to the wildlife of Iran. One of the most famous members of the Iranian wildlife is the critically endangered Asiatic cheetah, also known as the Iranian cheetah, whose numbers were greatly reduced after the 1979 Revolution. At least 74 species of Iranian wildlife are on the red list of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, a sign of serious threats against the country’s biodiversity. Iran had lost all its Asiatic lions and the now extinct Caspian tigers by the earlier part of the 20th century.
Other Training Courses in Arasbaran Tourism Company:
Cultural And Historical Tour Guides
Technical Manager Of Tourism Agency
Professional Birdwatching Tour Guides