TEHRAN – Isfahan province is getting prepared to accommodate some 100,000 travelers per day during the Noruz, Iranian New Year holidays, which officially starts on March 21.

“Having some 150 hotels, 450 eco-lodges, 70 traditional hostels, 150 inns and 230 guest houses, Isfahan province is set to welcome 100,000 Noruz travelers per day,” the provincial tourism chief, Alireza Izadi, said on Sunday.

“In addition, we have prepared tourist camps, schools, and stadiums, as temporary residences for new year holidaymakers,” the official said.

Isfahan’s foreign tourist arrivals hit 35,000 during the first half of the current Iranian calendar year, helping drive the tourism economy of the Iranian province after months of recession caused by the coronavirus.

According to Izadi, the majority of the foreign tourists who choose the beautiful province of Isfahan as their travel destination are from Germany, Italy, France, Austria, and then East Asia countries such as China, Singapore, and Japan, as well as Muslim-majority countries, especially the Persian Gulf littoral states.

Isfahan was once a crossroads of international trade and diplomacy in Iran and now it is one of Iran’s top tourist destinations for good reasons. Isfahan has long been nicknamed as Nesf-e-Jahan, which is translated into “half the world”; meaning seeing it is relevant to see half the world.

It is filled with many architectural wonders, such as unmatched Islamic buildings, bazaars, museums, Persian gardens, and tree-lined boulevards.

Some say Isfahan is a top destination for those who love walking, getting lost in its labyrinthine bazaars, dozing in beautiful gardens, and meeting people.

Iranians made over 50 million overnight stays during the previous new year (Noruz) holidays in March 2022. Iranians traditionally make hundreds of thousands of domestic trips during the New Year holidays, when most businesses and workplaces are closed, as are schools.

AFM