TEHRAN – Currently, 11 tourism-related projects worth 6.9 trillion rials (about $25 million) are being developed in southwestern Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari province by private investors, the deputy provincial tourism chief has announced. 

The projects include hotels, tourist complexes, accommodation centers, and restaurants, which are being implemented in different cities and regions across the province, Farjam Samiei said on Friday. 

Between 15 to 90 percent of these projects have been completed so far, the official added. 

The projects are expected to generate over 900 job opportunities upon their completion, he noted. 

Last year, the provincial tourism chief Mehrdad Javadi announced that the private sector invested 180 billion rials (about $645,000) in the tourism sector of the province during the first nine months of the Iranian calendar year 1399(March 2020-December 2020).

This investment flow created 170 tourism-related jobs across the [lesser-known] province, he noted. 

Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari has various unique traditions and rituals relative to the 'tribal' lifestyles. Special forms of music, dance, and clothing are noteworthy. It has considerable potential to become a vibrant tourist attraction because of its changing natural landscape. The province is also a hub for making wool felt products, majorly of which exported abroad. It is home to some 500 crafters, in over 250 workshops, making handmade felt products.

Currently, about 40 tons of felt are yearly being made in Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari through traditional and modern manners, which could be increased to 50 tons, according to official data. Experts believe that Shahr-e Kord has the potential to be a world city for felt products.

ABU/AFM