A recent trip by a group of journalists from Tehran showcased tourism development projects underway in northern Iran. The itinerary was designed to demonstrate how railway travel, coastal destinations, accommodation options, entertainment, and wellness services can be integrated into a single tourist experience.
The journey began on Thursday morning at the Tehran railway station, where the group boarded a tourist train heading to Rasht, the capital of Gilan province. They then continued by bus to Bandar-e Anzali—a port city on the Caspian Sea long known as one of the best tourist spots in northern Iran.
Mediatour, organized by the Social Security Organization Tourism Group (HEGTA), visited several sites in Coastal Village Anzali. This large resort complex has a history spanning over fifty years. The tour aimed to present the various components of the tourism model that HEGTA seeks to develop, including rail journeys, accommodation, coastal leisure, and health and wellness services.
The main site visited was Coastal Village Anzali, established in 1974 on an area of about 200 hectares. The complex includes hundreds of villas and apartment units. A significant portion of the initial development is already complete and handed over to owners, while work continues on several new projects within the existing resort.
Among the inspected projects were the Gilora health and medical complex, a prefabricated villa project consisting of 14 units, and a residential complex of eight units. Managers of the Gilora project explained that the complex is developing based on the concept of combining tourism, leisure, and wellness, utilizing both traditional Iranian medicine and modern healthcare methods.
This project was not conceived as a typical medical center. Instead, it is intended to offer visitors the opportunity to spend several days away from their usual routine, receiving health and wellness services tailored to their individual needs. One of the key spaces is the 'wellness consultation' room. According to the project team, visitors will first undergo an assessment by a doctor specializing in traditional medicine, after which a wellness plan will be developed based on their lifestyle, circumstances, and needs.
The planned team will also include a nutritionist, a psychologist, and a corrective gymnastics specialist. Additional amenities include a healthy eating cafe and a health-oriented supermarket. The cafe is meant to offer nutritious dishes and drinks, while the supermarket will stock items related to wellness, healthy living, and traditional Iranian medicine.
During the visit, the Gilora hotel area was also being developed, with about 10 chalet-style rooms under construction. Project representatives stated that the concept is primarily aimed at short-term stays and multi-day wellness tours. Depending on the final operational model, guests may stay at the complex for four days to a week or longer, combining health consultations and wellness programs with relaxation in the coastal environment.
Potential clients include retirees insured by the Iranian Social Security Organization, as well as individuals in high-stress positions. Officials stated that the wellness complex could be completed in approximately three months, after which it would begin hosting multi-day wellness tours.
For Alireza Tabesh, CEO and Vice Chairman of HEGTA, the visited projects cannot be viewed in isolation. He described rail transport, routes, destinations, accommodation, wellness services, and the overall visitor experience as interconnected parts of a unified tourism chain. This idea was evident in the structure of their own trip: they started the journey by train, continued by road to the coastal destination, and then examined the developing accommodation and wellness projects.
This approach reflects HEGTA's broader efforts to move beyond simply managing existing facilities and instead use them as a platform for creating new tourism products. The second visited project was a residential complex of 14 villas within Coastal Village. Its distinguishing feature is the use of prefabricated components instead of traditional construction methods.
During the visit, Seyed Meysam Seyedbakeri, CEO of Coastal Village Anzali, reported that the main structure of each villa can be assembled in about three days. The entire process, from structural installation to completion and handover, is expected to take about four months. At the time of the visit, about 10 out of 14 units had been installed, and work was ongoing on the remaining four.
However, the business model for these villas has not yet been determined. Project managers indicated that one option is to operate these units as tourist accommodation, while another possibility involves transferring ownership of some or all of them, taking into account construction costs and expected profit.
Nearby, another eight-unit site with a distinctly different architectural and structural approach was visited. The area featured steeper terrain, allowing developers to incorporate underground levels into the buildings. This project serves as another example of utilizing different parts of the existing resort for new forms of development.
Tabesh noted that HEGTA aims to transition from merely administering its assets to generating greater value from them, especially against the backdrop of inflation, economic difficulties, sanctions, and declining demand that have pressured Iran's tourism industry. He cited Coastal Village Anzali as an example of how an established property can be transformed into a more diversified destination.
The resort, which boasts over 52 years of history, was originally established primarily as a residential area consisting of villas. According to Tabesh, part of its existing capacity can now be directed towards recreational, social, and wellness services. The goal is to allow guests coming for residence and leisure to access additional wellness facilities, gradually transforming the resort from a predominantly residential complex into a broader tourism destination.
Tabesh added that in addition to renovating and upgrading railway carriages, HEGTA seeks to expand rail tourism tours. He mentioned that cooperation is not limited to Raja, the railway company affiliated with HEGTA, but also extends to other railway operators. The central question is whether the new facilities can generate real tourist demand, stimulate longer stays, contribute to the local economy, and offer visitors experiences that go beyond standard accommodation in northern Iran.
