TEHRAN – A total of 15 eco-lodges are about to open doors to travelers in Sistan-Baluchestan province, a booming yet untapped tourist destination in southeast Iran.

“Initial agreements for constructing 70 eco-lodges have been reached in the past. Now 15 of such natural tourist camps have been completed and are ready to render services,” CHTN quoted a provincial tourism official as saying on Monday.

“Many eco-tourists are interested in feeling the way villagers and nomads live, eating local dishes and food, roaming in nature and experiencing a simple yet intimate rural life,” Mojtaba Mirhosseini added.

Given the fact that 51 percent of Sistan-Baluchestan’s population live in villages and nomadic areas, the province has considerable potential in the field of ecotourism, a key element to speed up development, fuel economy, and empower native societies, the official explained.

During the first half of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 21), some 350,000 foreign travelers visited the province as it sees to become a tourist hub for both avid sightseers and history buffs.

Nationals from Italy, Austria, England, Germany, Hungary, and the Netherlands were amongst the inbound passengers though a majority of them came from the neighboring countries, Mirhosseini said earlier this month.

Traditions, rituals and culture of people in Sistan-Baluchestan make up another source of charm and remembrance for the travelers in addition to abundant historical attractions and natural sceneries that are scattered across the province, Mirhosseini added.

Sistan-Baluchestan has long been shunned by potential foreign travelers though it is home to several distinctive archaeological sites and natural attractions, including two UNESCO World Heritage sites, namely Shahr-e-Soukhteh (Burnt City) and Lut Desert, shared between it and Kerman Province.

PHOTO: A nomadic troupe performs an indigenous music in Sistan-Baluchestan province, southeast Iran.

AFM/MG