TEHRAN – The sales figures for makeshift handicraft markets grew 49 percent during the two-week Noruz holidays, which ended on April 2, in comparison to that of the previous year.

A total of 10,660 stalls within over 800 marketplaces fetched 630 billion rials (some $15 million) during the period, based on statistics compiled by the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, IRIB reported.

The CHHTO also recorded 62 million night stays for the past Noruz, which indicates an increase of 21 percent compared to the year before.

Most businesses and workplaces are closed in Noruz, as are schools so that millions of Iranians grasp the opportunity to hit the roads.

AFM/MQ/MG