Connecting Local Tourism with Employment and Rural Development

As part of our ongoing activities in agriculture and local development, we developed the idea of creating a tourism village to activate the economic and social capacities of rural communities. The initiative aimed to use tourism as a tool for income generation, local employment, and stronger community participation.

Activating Local Potential Through Tourism

As part of the project, local tours such as restaurant tours, milking experiences, and village walks were organized to attract visitors to target areas in Kermanshah.

The presence of tourists created opportunities for local products and skills to enter the economic cycle directly. Local foods and snacks, handicrafts, traditional clothing, and local hats were offered to visitors, enabling many rural women and men to generate income through these activities.

Creating Opportunities for Different Groups

The project was not limited to village residents. Former prisoners also became part of the workforce in some of these activities, creating an opportunity for their gradual return to employment and social participation.

Alongside economic activities, the social and health needs of local residents were also considered. Physicians from other parts of the country traveled to these areas to provide necessary medical services to village residents.

Financing Local Businesses

One of the key components of the initiative was the creation of a financial mechanism to support local entrepreneurship.

A fund was established through the pre-sale of agricultural products and beekeeping products. The fund provided loans with a 2% service fee, along with other necessary forms of support, to people who wanted to start or develop their own businesses.

In this way, the project went beyond attracting tourists and aimed to create a local value chain connecting tourism, product sales, employment, and microfinance.

A Multidimensional Model for Local Development

The tourism village was designed as a multidimensional intervention in which several local capacities were connected:

Local Tourism → Sales of Products and Services → Rural Employment → Participation of Different Social Groups → Business Financing → Stronger Local Economy

This experience showed how connecting the existing capacities of a region can transform tourism from a purely recreational activity into a platform for economic empowerment, job creation, and sustainable local development.