BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 25. Both Iran and
Azerbaijan have very good experiences in the field of sustainable
and green tourism, and both countries can share their great
experiences with each other in developing green tourism strategies,
Secretary of the National Ecotourism and Green Tourism Committee of
the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism of Iran,
Mohammad Jahanshahi, told Trend in an exclusive interview.
He noted that they can help each other in the development of
both rural tourism and local tourism, and in tourism
infrastructures ranging from small residences to large hotels.
"First of all, the many commonalities between Iran and
Azerbaijan, as well as their natural commonalities. In addition to
nature, there are cultural, behavioral, and historical
commonalities. Therefore, I do not feel any strangeness here. We
feel the same kind of sincere behavior of Azerbaijani citizens in
Iran every day. In this regard, citizens of both countries
understand each other well," he said.
The ministry official added that when it comes to developing the
tourism sector between the two countries, there is a need to
implement strategic changes in this direction. The Caspian Sea as a
valuable corridor, the Hyrcanian forests as a joint natural
heritage, the use of the territories of the two countries for
transporting various types of spices from Asia, especially India,
and the existing caravanserai routes and corridors in Iran and
Azerbaijan can be very effective if they are worked on.
"Strengthening railway connections between the two countries,
increasing air travel, and naturally providing simplifications for
tourists from the two countries can contribute to the development
of tourism relations. Existing infrastructures can also create
conditions for the development of ecotourism between the two
countries," he noted.
Jahanshahi said that Azerbaijan has gained great experience and
achievements in terms of green and sustainable tourism in recent
years. The organization of COP-29 in Baku 2 years ago and the
holding of WUF in Baku this year show that Azerbaijan has gained
great experience in this field. It was along with COP-29 that the
green tourism program was launched. This shows that Azerbaijan
takes the green tourism sector seriously and attaches importance to
it.
The ministry official noted that currently, green tourism is not
a voluntary choice, but a necessary step that must be taken.
Because climate change has negative effects on all countries of the
world. If the tourism sector is not given serious attention and is
not developed properly, it is one of the sectors that has a
negative impact on the whole world. The tourism sector has an 8-10%
role in the spread of greenhouse gases in the world. Greenhouse
gases also have a 90% role in climate change. The development of
green and sustainable tourism contributes to both the increase in
tourists and the protection of nature.
"In my opinion, Azerbaijan is one of the main countries in the
region that is making great efforts to develop green and
sustainable tourism. I observe that there are hotels with green
labels in Baku. This shows that hotels have the ability to optimize
water and energy consumption and other opportunities. In the
current situation, the listed indicators increase the quality of
tourism.
The use of electric vehicles at the city level is one of the
highlights in the development of green tourism. We clearly see the
fundamental and principled implementation of these works in
Azerbaijan. When we see the greenery and landscape of Baku, it is
clear that great and serious work is being carried out. Currently,
Baku is a training city in terms of urban management. It's known
that Baku has great experience in urban management and tourism," he
pointed out.
Jahanshahi added that considering Iran's experience in green and
sustainable tourism, the two countries can share their experiences
to achieve sustainable development in the tourism sector. This can
benefit the tourism sector of the two countries both economically
and in terms of values.
According to him, if we take literary figures as an example,
geniuses such as Nizami Ganjavi, Khagani Shirvani, and Mohammad
Hossein Shahriyar show that there is great potential between the
two countries.
"Green tourism is being seriously monitored at the global level
after 2023. In Iran, since then, the National Secretariat for Green
Tourism has been operating in the Ministry of Cultural Heritage,
Tourism and Handicrafts. This secretariat works together with the
Environmental Protection Organization, the Natural Resources
Organization, and the Geological Organization.
The secretariat is working on a number of projects in the field
of sustainable tourism. The names of 5 Iranian villages have been
listed in the list of the best rural tourism in the world. Various
indicators must be at a very high level for the selection of
tourist villages. Almost all of these indicators are within the
framework of green tourism," he explained.
According to him, currently, work is being carried out within
the framework of 3 projects for the development of green and
sustainable tourism in Iran. These works include issuing green
labels to hotels, equipping hotels with solar power plants, and
applying energy consumption standards to hotels. Last year, 12
hotels in Iran were issued green labels. This year, it's also
planned to issue green labels to other hotels.
Jahanshahi pointed out that initial steps have been taken in the
direction of using solar power plants in the tourism sector in
Iran. It's expected that solar power plants will be used to the
maximum extent in the tourism sector in the next 4-5 years.
The ministry official noted that there are approximately 300
sunny days in Iran a year. The number of sunny days is the majority
in the northern provinces of Iran, except Gilan and Mazandaran.
Approximately 90% of Iran's tourism facilities are located in areas
with many sunny days.
"Currently, standards are being developed in Iran regarding
energy consumption in hotels. Work on 90% of these standards has
been completed. Once these standards are fully implemented, hotels
with low consumption will be able to receive more discounts
accordingly. Hotels with high or medium consumption will also be
informed to reduce their consumption.
Work has begun between the National Ecotourism and Green Tourism
Committee and the Iranian Environmental Protection Organization
within the framework of projects to develop national parks, forest
parks with the Natural Resources Organization, and geotourism with
the Geological Organization.
Currently, Iran's Ministry of Mineral Heritage, Tourism, and
Handicrafts is taking the issue of green tourism seriously when
issuing licenses to hotels. This is also in the interest of
investors. When investors pay attention to priorities, their costs
will be reduced by 30-40%. As a result, the process of returning
investments to investors will also be accelerated, which will help
both the environment and bring economic benefits,” he
concluded.
