TEHRAN - Hotels and museums in the city of Yazd are offering deep discounts on accommodation and entry fees for Chinese travelers on the occasion of the Chinese New Year celebrations.

Three- to-five-star hotels and some heritage museums will be offering discounts of 40 percent and 50 percent respectively until February 12 to mark Chinese New Year, CHTN quoted a provincial tourism official as saying on Monday.

In addition, some special ceremonies have been planned to entertain them, the official said, adding, “Chinese decorations and banners of greeting will also be installed.”

“The scheme is to achieve prospects of tourism development in Iran… and to penetrate the Chinese travel market.”

The number of Chinese tourists visiting Iran in 2017 fell short of expectations as just 80,000 of the total 100,000,000 outbound Chinese passengers traveled to Iran last year. Experts say insignificant numbers of Chinese restaurants, Chinese-language guides or even inappropriate lodging facilities are among the main reasons behind.

With its winding lanes, forest of badgirs (wind catchers), mud-brick houses, atmospheric alleyways and centuries of history, Yazd is a delightful place to stay, referring as a ‘don't miss’ destination by almost all travel associates in the region.

Located in central Iran, Yazd is a UNESCO World Heritage. The oasis city is wedged between the northern Dasht-e Kavir and southern Dasht-e Lut on a flat plain ringed by mountains.

AFM/MG