TEHRAN - The number of international tourists visiting Iran’s northern province of Golestan rose sharply by 113 percent in the first six months of the current Iranian calendar year (started on March 21) from a year earlier, provincial tourism chief has said.

A total of 2,986 foreign travelers “visited and accommodated” in Golestan province in the six-month period that shows 113 percent year-on-year increase, CHTN quoted Ebrahim Karimi as saying on Sunday.

“The tourist industry has contributed to the growth of economic indicators in the province, especially in terms of job creation and cultural and social development…,” he explained.

Golestan province embraces some 2,500 historical and natural sites, Karimi said.

Elsewhere in his remarks the official attached great importance to eco-lodges, which are being more and more prevalent across the province, saying, “[accommodation in] eco-lodges have been highly welcomed by foreign travelers.”

“There are currently 35 eco-lodges that are active while the same number are due to be inaugurated.” 

In September, Golestan province’s governor announced that 200 eco-lodges would be opened to the public during the next couple of months to cater to the hospitality industry in northern Iran.

The one-millennium-old, UNESCO-registered Gonbad-e Qabus is one of the most significant tourist destinations in Golestan province, neighboring the Caspian Sea.

AFM/MQ/MG