TEHRAN--Given Iran's literary and philosophical history, especially in Khorasan Razavi, this province has high potential for organizing literary and philosophical tourism tours, a faculty member of Gorgan’s Hakim Jorjani Institute of Higher Education said.

Mehdi Saghaei told ISNA: “If we want to provide a comprehensive definition of literary and philosophical tourism, we can say that this type of tourism refers to trips that are made with the motivation of understanding literary works, writers, thinkers or intellectuals.”

He said: “In other words, literary-philosophical tourists are people who, with interest and motivation to learn, travel to destinations where the writer, thinker, or scholar of their choice lived, created his works, or spent a significant part of his life. These works can include books, personal belongings, their place of residence, or even their workplace, and the tourist's goal is to understand and experience the atmosphere associated with his favorite character.”

Saghaei said that the literary-philosophical tourism is formed based on novels or other reading materials. “For example, if a story is told in a small town, those interested in that story may be motivated to travel to that town and become familiar with the geography of the story and the living environment of the characters. This type of travel is similar to the film tourism; just as after a film becomes popular, its locations become destinations for the interested tourists. In literary-philosophical tourism, the focus is more on literary and philosophical characters and works.”

He stated that given Iran's literary and philosophical history, especially in Khorasan Razavi province, there is a high potential for organizing such tours. “In the pre-modern period, we face a group of writers, poets, and thinkers, some of whom are known internationally; including Khayyam, Ferdowsi, and other literary greats who have been present in the vastness of Greater Khorasan, especially Khorasan Razavi. This makes it possible to design the literary and philosophical tours to visit the places of residence, works, and even places of activity of these figures.”

Saghaei continued that in the modern period, although some writers and figures are known nationally and do not have the ability to attract foreign tourists, Khorasan Razavi still has important potential domestically.

Those interested in the works of contemporary and classical writers can travel to the relevant places to learn about their lifestyles and writing environments, or even visit their tombs and pay their respects, he added.

“For example, those interested in Khayyam, Attar, and Ferdowsi, or those interested in mysticism, can benefit from these opportunities.”

The faculty member continued that many modern stories take place in a specific geographical context, and those interested in these stories want to learn about the environment and location and observe it. 

In addition, traditional and local music of Khorasan Razavi can also be introduced and offered in form of specialized tours within the framework of literary-philosophical tourism, he said. Therefore, this type of tourism has broad dimensions that can be both cultural and economic, he added.

Stating that in the modern era, literary-philosophical tourism does not have a high capacity at the international level and is mainly limited to the domestic tourism, Saghaei added that  combining the capacities of the pre-modern and modern eras can pave the way for creating the attractive combined tours, so that foreign and domestic tourists can get acquainted with both classical works and contemporary figures.

Achieving this goal requires the effort and creativity of tourism activists to be able to design and implement the appropriate travel packages, he pointed out.

He added that cultural institutions can also play an effective role in strengthening these capacities, but so far, this type of tourism has not received sufficient attention.

“Tourism in our society still faces a limited understanding of managers and experts, while its income potential and economic development are very high. The experience of neighboring countries shows that tourism can create a source of large income and significant employment.”

Stressing that more than 16 government institutions and agencies are involved in the field of tourism, but there is not enough responsibility on their part, he said: “In such circumstances, the private sector and tourism professionals can play a key role in planning and implementing the literary-philosophical tours, provided that the government, with a relative retreat, provides them with creative space and opportunities for activity.”

Saghaei emphasized that it is necessary to not limit tourism, especially literary-philosophical tourism, to a purely traditional perspective. This field has diverse dimensions that, in addition to income aspects, can create employment and economic mobility, he added.

KD