This is Hanieh Goharipour, an Eco-cultural and Adventure Expert with 13 years’ experience in planning and coordinating international and domestic adventure travel, lodging, recreational and adventure activities for commercial clients.
I earned a Bachelor of Textile Engineering from Amirkabir University in Tehran, a Master of Geography and Tourism Planning from Azad University-science and research branch in Tehran and an M.A. in Urban Management from Central Azad University in Tehran.
My deep interest in women empowerment, sustainable development, environmental conservation, social entrepreneurship, river eco-tourism development, and employment for local communities led me to cooperate in the project “River Ecotourism and Entrepreneurship in Iran” (Iran Rafting) in 2007.
For the first phase of the project, the International River Tourism experts were invited to explore rivers and identify places with remote, less developed communities around which it is important to promote employment opportunities.
Now I am a BOD member of Iran Rafting Association (IRA) and the chair of their Public Relations Committee. I am also the Co-founder of Anahid Land Adventure and Ecotourism Center, which is the leading Iranian Centre in the field of Eco-Adventure tourism. At the university, I teach sustainable tourism and ecotourism.