At a meeting of the Strategic Headquarters for the World Registration of the tourism village of Shaneh Tarash, held at the Mazandaran Governorate, Mostafa Fatemi stated: “This meeting was convened with the aim of reviewing the progress of the world registration process of the Shaneh Tarash village, and executive agencies are responsible for carrying out the necessary actions to improve the indicators of this village.”
He added: “With the country’s capabilities and natural and historical attractions in villages, as well as its rich history and civilization and its people’s culture, Iran has three main pillars. These capacities can introduce Iran as an important indicator of rural tourism in the world.”
Fatemi continued: “So far, in recent years, five of Iran’s villages have been included in the list of the best villages in global tourism, and Iran has been able to secure a special position among countries of the world in this field.”
Referring to the process of selecting 2026 Global Candidates List villages, he said: “Out of around 100 villages that were reviewed, ultimately 8 villages were selected as the final candidates, including Shaneh Tarash village from Mazandaran Province. The village will soon be introduced to the World Tourism Organization for the final selection of the 2026 villages.”
The Director-General of the Development of Domestic Tourism at the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts noted: “We are currently completing the dossier for this village so that, at the upcoming conference, we can register one of Iran’s villages in the world list.”
He emphasized: “We hope that with the participation of all executive agencies and the support of the people, we will be able to register yet another of Iran’s achievements in the list of the world’s best tourism villages.”
Emphasis on the Role of Public Participation in the World Registration of Shaneh Tarash Village in Mazandaran
The Director-General of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts in Mazandaran described the active participation of the local community as one of the essential pillars in the process of registering Shaneh Tarash village as a world site, and emphasized the need to strengthen local identity alongside sustainable tourism development.
In a meeting of the strategic headquarters for the world registration of this village in the Mazandaran Governorate, Hossein Izadi said: “Shaneh Tarash village is among the province’s options for introduction in the list of world tourism villages, and this process can play an important role in improving the region’s tourism position.”
He also added, referring to the successful experience of Kandloos village: “The goal of registering villages at the global level is to create a tourism value chain, strengthen the local economy, and achieve sustainable development across economic, social, and cultural dimensions.”
Izadi stated that the evaluation of this village is carried out based on specialized criteria, adding: “Indicators such as the completion of the tourism value chain, economic and social sustainability, and the role of infrastructure in improving the quality of life and welfare of the local community are among the most important areas of assessment in this process.”
He continued: “The development of tourism infrastructure, appropriate access, welfare services, and the preservation of cultural authenticity—together with the active participation of the people—can set the stage for this village’s success along the path to world registration.”
At the end, the Director-General of Mazandaran’s Cultural Heritage stated: “Achieving this goal is not possible without the cooperation and synergy of executive agencies and the support of the local community. We hope that, with this collaboration, Shaneh Tarash village will become one of the successful global examples of sustainable tourism.”
The Director-General of Domestic Tourism Development at the Ministry of Cultural Heritage announced that the village of Shaneh Tarash has been selected among Iran’s eight candidates for 2026 Global Candidates List, and emphasized the necessity of cooperation among government agencies to improve the indicators of this village.
