TEHRAN – Deputy Director of the Department of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of Khorasan Razavi said that the “Book on Travel” initiative is being carried out in traditional lodging facilities and ecotourism sites in Khorasan Razavi province, so that books become a kind friend and travel companion for tourists.
Mohammad Rokni added that the Khorasan Razavi Department of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, in cooperation with the Directorate General of Libraries of Khorasan Razavi Province and the Ecotourism Professional Association, has prepared the “Books on Travel” project in order to promote and develop the culture of reading books and the important role of kind friends among members of society, especially pilgrims and tourists, as well as children and tourists. ISNA reports that youth are guests in ecolodges and traditional lodging facilities.
The plan includes installing bookshelves and providing books on tourism, history, and literature to guests staying at guesthouses and ecotourism destinations.
Regarding the purpose of this measure, Mr. Lokni said that this measure was initiated and implemented with the aim of transforming tourist facilities into cultural centers and adequately filling the leisure time of guests during their stay.
He said the bookshelves will be stocked with books written in the world’s common languages, including Persian, Arabic and English, as well as cultural products and tourist guides.
Rokni said that in the first phase of the initiative, 12 library bookshelves will be prepared and delivered to ecotourism and traditional accommodation facilities.
He added that the pilot phase of the project has begun and the project will be officially launched on November 15, coinciding with Reading and Reading Day.
Rokni said Khorasan Razavi has 230 traditional and eco-tourism accommodation facilities, making it one of the provinces with the highest number of accommodation facilities in the country and hosting a large number of domestic and international tourists and pilgrims every year.
Mashhad is the holiest city in Iran. Its raison d’être is the impressive shrine complex of the 8th Shiite Imam, surrounded by dozens of five-star hotels and many other accommodations.
In August 2020, the spiritual tradition of pilgrimage to the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza (AS) was inscribed on the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts.
KD