The Place of Medicinal & Ornamental Plants in attracting Tourists to Fars Province (Iran)

Demand and desire for tourism with various incentives for the purposes of recreation, pilgrimage, and business, are increasing in the entire world with an incredibly speed. The rise of income levels, increased leisure time, changes in attitudes toward new concepts of life and the needs to international communication require that tourism to be developed. In terms of tourism attractions, Iran is considered as one of the world’s most important tourist countries. The variety of attractions such as historical, natural, cultural, rural, and urban attractions around the land are the proof of this claim. In this regard, taking into consideration natural tourism potentials as well as positive and negative function of these attractions in health affairs and preserving the beauty of human life could encompass an important dimension of tourism by medical approach. In this regard, ornamental and medicinal plants and realizing their properties in maintaining health and welfare of the citizens of a community could have a greatest role in attracting tourist to the country. In the present study, having conducted a case study with analytical- descriptive approach on Fars province of Iran and doing extensive library and field study; while identifying and introducing plant species, especially ornamental and medicinal plants of the region, it is attempted to analyze multiple angles and functional aspects of these plants in maintaining community health and welfare, especially tourists, to attract tourists to this province.