TEHRAN – On Thursday, the Iranian tourism minister arrived in Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari province, where he toured several key historical sites and participated in a regional tourism commission.

Ezzatollah Zarghami had stopovers within the province to evaluate the state of heritage sites on the Farrokhshahr’s national day.

The minister inspected several historical and cultural landmarks, including the Zaman-Khan bridge in Saman, Chaleshtar Castle, and the centuries-old Horeh bridge.

Highlighting his visit was his participation in the provincial tourism meeting, where future initiatives for boosting local tourism were discussed.

The minister also attended ceremonies commemorating the national days of Farrokhshahr and Hafshejan, indicating a strong focus on regional cultural promotion.

During his visit, Zarghami specifically visited the historic Zaman Khan Bridge, a registered national monument, dating back to the Safavid era, which is renowned for its architectural significance and historical value.

Moreover, his other stopover was at the Horeh Bridge, which was reconstructed during the Pahlavi era on the ruins of an older bridge and is celebrated for its beauty and use of local stone materials.

In a press conference, the minister shared news about the ongoing tourism projects in the region, revealing that the [Iranian] President [Ebrahim Raisi] had ordered the allocation of significant banking facilities to advance tourism infrastructure, particularly for projects that are over 80% complete.

“This funding initiative is part of a broader strategy to stimulate investment in the tourism sector,” Zarghami further elaborated. “Recognized as a highly profitable and sustainable field.”

Additionally, the minister underscored the importance of maintaining and promoting Iran’s cultural diversity in the face of globalization.

He stated that cultural events and national celebrations are key to preserving Iranian identity and thwarting cultural uniformity.

As part of his concluding remarks, the minister emphasized the ongoing restoration of Farrokhshahr Castle and the drafting of over 1,800 cultural events into the national calendar, aiming to promote national pride and joy.

Chahrmahal-Bakhtiari as one of the various destinations in the west side of Iran, the ones which are generally lesser-known to potential sightseers and vacationers, is seeking to absorb travelers with an eye toward fostering tourism provincewide

Over the past couple of years, western Iranian provinces have held several meetings to discuss ways to expand tourism, bringing together local officials, hoteliers, travel agents, and tour operators from provinces of Lorestan, Ilam, Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari, Kohgiluyeh-Boyerahmad, Kermanshah, Kordestan, Hamedan, Zanjan and East Azarbaijan, amongst others.

“Introducing the lesser-known or less-favored travel destinations is part of the ministry’s policies,” an official with the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts on September 30, 2021, noted, “and paying more attention to the western axis of the country is in line with those strategies.”

“The west axis is our concern for tourism, which we intend to raise at [various] international tourism conferences,” the official stated.

Qasemi added that off-the-beaten-track destinations are becoming more popular as a new trend worldwide. “Tourism has diversified and different excursions can be offered to tourists, so we have to introduce new tourism routes.”