Rapid ecotourism development and challenges: the case of ecolodge in Iran

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of ecolodges in Iran supported by the government tourism policies. This is also as the country is witnessing a growing interest in popularity of ecotourism trips particularly in northern part of the country. However, such development has also created many issues as the rapid expansion of the ecolodges does not necessarily follow the required guidelines. The purpose of this study is to identify the main problems and challenges of ecolodges in three provinces of Gilan, Golestan and Mazandaran in northern Iran. Qualitative data was collected by interviewing the ecolodge owners in the three provinces. The data analysis led to the formation of 3 main themes and 8 sub-themes. The findings revealed that issues such as the lack of support from the government organizations, weakness in tourism laws and policies, problems related to the geography of ecolodges, lack of knowledge, and also problems related to the local community perceptions are among the problems and challenges ecolodges are facing.