TEHRAN— A total of 268 tourism projects were inaugurated simultaneously via video conference by Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Reza Salehi-Amiri on Wednesday.

They include 33 hotels and hotel apartments, 98 traditional and eco-tourism residences, 26 traditional dining halls, 12 tourism complexes, and 99 other tourism facilities, which, with a total investment of over 130 trillion rials (some $130 million), will provide employment for 2,830 people.

Speaking at a ceremony which was held in a boutique hotel in downtown Tehran, Salehi-Amiri appreciated the efforts of investors in the tourism sector. 

Talking to officials of Ilam province, the minister said, “Ilam is one of the centers of Iranian civilization and a province with unparalleled tourism potential, warm and hospitable people, and valuable handicrafts. This province has a special status in the tourism industry not only due to its rich history and culture, but also as a host to millions of pilgrims to the holy shrines.”

After inaugurating Qazvin tourism projects, he said that Qazvin is a province rooted in Iranian civilization, with magnificent historical monuments such as the Saad-ol-Saltaneh complex and beautiful handicrafts. It has extensive potential to become one of the country's most important tourism destinations, he pointed out. Its proximity to the capital is also a strategic advantage for further boosting Qazvin's tourism, he added.

The minister also inaugurated Khorasan Razavi projects and said Khorasan Razavi province is the major pilgrimage tourism hub of the country and along with it, other areas of tourism have also grown significantly. 

“The appropriate infrastructure of this province has made Mashhad a reliable center for holding national and international events. We expect this province to be a model for other provinces in the country.”

Following the inauguration of Bushehr tourism projects, he emphasized the importance of marine tourism. “Bushehr is a vital point in Iran's geography. This province has a great potential in marine tourism and more investment should be made in this area. Fortunately, the private sector is also active in this field and a bright future awaits marine tourism in the south of the country.”

He continued that Semnan is province with unique tourism potentials and is considered both economic and tourism destination.

“This province, with its special position in desert trekking and hosting Razavi pilgrims, can become one of the country's important tourism hubs. The role of the private sector in this direction is very decisive, and we consider the private sector to be the driving force behind tourism development.”

Salehi-Amiri pointed out that the three northern provinces are the beautiful image of Iran in the minds of domestic and foreign tourists. With the launch of marine tourism projects in the north of the country, a significant boom will take place in the tourism industry of these provinces, especially Mazandaran, and new horizons will be opened in the development of national tourism, he added.

Also, Deputy Tourism Minister Anoushirvan Mohseni Bandpei said that $160 million was allocated for tourism and handicrafts sector in current Iranian year, while $25 million was allocated in the last Iranian year.

He added: “Strategies to identify the status of tourism in the governance system were important to us. Iran, with a history of more than 60,000 years, has an active and talented private sector in all fields that can flourish those different sectors. Considering the capabilities to strengthen the place of tourism in the governance system, we witnessed changes in this sector.”

Mohseni Bandpei also said: “By developing the ecotourism and empowering local communities, we can achieve reverse migration and tourism development. The Minister of Economy said that tourism can be the driving force of the country's economy, which is indeed the case.”

Stating that Iran is one of the most attractive countries in the world, he added that despite Iranophobia, Iranian tourism is active in the fields of pilgrimage, health tourism, etc.

He continued: “Another of our strategies is to facilitate processes and use the private sector so that we can achieve sustainable tourism.”

KD