TEHRAN – A total of 25 eco-lodge units will come on stream in Fars province by the end of the current Iranian year (March 20, 2021), provincial tourism chief has said.

“25 eco-lodges [which are currently being constructed to renovated] will be completed during the current year,” CHTN quoted Mosayeb Amiri as saying on Monday.

“We intend to escalate the number of eco-lodges in Fars as ecotourism-related accommodation is a way to develop tourism in lesser-known areas (of the southern province),”  the official noted.

The ancient region of Fars, also spelled Pars, or Persis, was the heart of the Achaemenian Empire (550–330 BC), which was founded by Cyrus the Great and had its capital at Pasargadae. Darius I the Great moved the capital to nearby Persepolis in the late 6th or early 5th century BC.

The capital city of Shiraz is home to some of the country’s most magnificent buildings and sights. Increasingly, it draws more and more foreign and domestic sightseers flocking into this provincial capital which was the literary capital of Persia during the Zand dynasty from 1751 to 1794.

Iran announced in 2018 that 2,000 eco-lodges would be constructed across the country until 2021. Having a very diverse natural setting, Iran offers varied excursions to nature lovers. Sightseers may live with a nomad or rural family or enjoy an independent stay.

Experts say each eco-lodge unit generates jobs for seven to eight people on the average so that the scheme could create 160,000 jobs.

AFM/MG