TEHRAN – A total of six eco-lodge units are currently under construction across the northwestern province of Ardabil, the provincial tourism chief announced on Monday.

An investment value of 238 billion rials (about $5.7 million at the official exchange rate of 42,000 rials per dollar) has been channeled into the projects, Nader Fallahi said.

An initiative for the prosperity of the tourism industry in the province is to boost the number of eco-lodges, the official added.

The mentioned eco-lodges will add 44 rooms and 127 beds to the hospitality sector of the rural areas of the province, he noted.

The projects are expected to generate over 50 job opportunities upon their completion, he explained.

By promoting eco-tourism, rural areas can attract more tourists, and reverse migration could be triggered in the region, he mentioned.

Back in January, the official announced that more than 150 tourism-related projects are underway across the northwestern province. The mentioned projects will prepare the province’s tourism sector for the post-coronavirus era when the number of tourists and travelers is expected to rise magnificently, the official added.

In July, a local tourism official announced that some 835 jobs are expected to be created in Ardabil by several investments in tourism-related projects, which are estimated to get off the ground by the end of the current Iranian year 1400 (ends in March 2022).

In April, tourism authorities of the province announced that they have developed extensive plans to draw more tourists during the winter season to the province and make it the winter tourism hub of the country. 

In December 2019, Fallahi announced that seventeen tourism projects, worth 1,500 billion rials (some $35 million) would be inaugurated in the province in near future. He said that the objective to launch tourism projects in the province is to provide tourists from all over the world and domestic tourists as well with the opportunity to use these facilities and select Ardabil as their prime destination.

Last year, former Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Minister Ali-Asghar Mounesan said that investment in the tourism sector and boosting tourism infrastructure has not stopped despite the outbreak of the coronavirus in the country.

Sprawling on a high, windswept plateau, Ardabil is well-known for having lush natural beauties, hospitable people, and its silk and carpet trade tradition. It is also home to the UNESCO-registered Sheikh Safi al-Din Khanegah and Shrine Ensemble.

The province is very cold in winter and mild in summer, attracting thousands every year. The capital city of Ardabil is usually recorded as one of the coldest cities in the country in winter.

ABU/MG