TEHRAN – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday inaugurated 226 projects in the fields of tourism, handicrafts and cultural heritage through video conference on the occasion of the Government Week (August 24-30).

The projects, worth about 22.180 trillion rials (about $520 million), have generated 2,645 jobs across the country, IRIB reported.

In this regard a ceremony was held in Tehran’s Wisteria Hotel, which was attended by acting tourism minister Ali-Asghar Mounesan, several government officials and private sector investors.

Among the project were 31 three- to five-star hotels which added 5,229 beds to the country’s hospitality sector.

The volume of investments in tourism projects shows that this sector has drawn attention of investors, Mounesan, who doubles as vice president, noted.

[Nearly] 7.8 million foreign nationals visited Iran over the past [Iranian calendar] year [ended March 20], Mounesan added.

Earlier this month, the official announced “during the first three months of this year (March 21-June21), the number of tourists arriving in the country increased by 40 percent.”

“Medical tourism is one of the most important fields of Iran’s travel sector and an [average] spending of $2,400 per tourist indicates its importance,” he noted.

The Islamic Republic has set its goals to exceed its yearly medical travelers to around 2 million in [calendar year] 1404 (March 2025-March 2026).

AFM/MG