TEHRAN – The development of Sistan-Baluchestan through tourism can help the region address its challenges, the deputy tourism chief of the southeastern province has announced. 

Through the development of tourism, a peace project can be pursued with the neighboring countries in the region, CHTN quoted Mojtaba Mirhosseini as saying on Tuesday. 

To date, tourism activists in the province have focused on activities for the sustainable development of tourism, which is highly commendable, the official added. 

The port of Chabahar has the potential to become the maritime tourism capital of Iran, and also the northern region of the province has the potential to become the historical tourism capital of the country, which with the right planning and building of necessary infrastructure, can be achieved, he noted. 

In order to increase the demand for visiting the province, its attractions and beauty need to be presented as much as possible, he explained. 

SEO and web marketing are among the most effective digital marketing tools in tourism and can help introduce more people to the province and local businesses, he mentioned. 

He also noted that organizing fam tours for Iranian tourism activists and media people significantly changed people’s perceptions of the region.

Last year, former Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Minister Ali-Asghar Mounesan said that the development of the travel industry across Sistan-Baluchestan province is among the top priorities for the ministry. “I am interested in Sistan-Baluchestan, and the development of this province is a priority for this ministry and the government,” the former minister stated.

“The majority of my travels during my tenure has been to Sistan-Baluchestan, which I consider as a safe province with significant values in terms of culture, history, handicrafts, and tourism.”

The collective province -- Sistan in the north and Baluchestan in the south -- accounts for one of the driest regions of Iran with a slight increase in rainfall from east to west, and an obvious rise in humidity in the coastal regions. In ancient times, the region was a crossword of the Indus Valley and the Babylonian civilizations.

The province possesses special significance because of being located in a strategic and transit location, especially Chabahar which is the only ocean port in Iran and the best and easiest access route of the middle Asian countries to free waters.

The vast province is home to several distinctive archaeological sites and natural attractions, including two UNESCO World Heritage sites, namely Shahr-e-Soukhteh (Burnt City) and Lut desert.

ABU/AFM