TEHRAN – Iran’s southern islands of Qeshm and Kish will reopen hotels and tourist attractions as coronavirus lockdown measures are relaxed in the country, Persian media reported on Wednesday. 

However, eco-lodge units and wedding halls in Qeshm will remain closed until further notice.   

Meanwhile, in Kish Island, sea clubs, restaurants and malls have been allowed to reopen after the holy month of Ramadan as the island is one of the white areas of the country with no traces of coronavirus.

Officials also asked locals and tourists in both islands to continue observing health protocols and social distancing rules strictly.  

Qeshm Island is a heaven for eco-tourists as it embraces wide-ranging attractions such as the Hara marine forests and about 60 villages dotted mostly across its rocky coastlines.

The island also features geologically eye-catching canyons, hills, caves, and valleys, most of which are protected as part of the UNESCO-tagged Qeshm Island Geopark, itself a haven for nature-lovers.

Many travelers to Qeshm believe that the Stars Valley or Valley of Stars is a “MUST SEE”. It is home to bizarre-shaped gorges, tall pillars, canyon-like paths, hollowed-out spaces as well as the smooth and round stones, which have been formed by the wind and rain eroding the soil, rocks, and stones. Locals believe that a star once fell on this area thereby creating the rocky shapes that make it seem as if from another planet.

Over the past couple of decades, the coral Kish Island has become a beach resort where visitors can swim, shop, and sample a laid-back and relatively liberated local lifestyle. It is home to free-trade-zone status, with ever-growing hotels, shopping centers, apartment blocks, and retail complexes.

ABU/MG