TEHRAN – A budget of 50 billion rials ($173,000) has been allocated for the tourism development of the southwestern Kohgiluyeh-Boyer Ahmad province.

The money is planned to spend on developing rural tourism as well as increasing the number of eco-lodge units across the province, Saeid Talebipur, the provincial tourism chief, said on Wednesday.

Earlier this month, the deputy tourism minister Ali-Asghar Shalbafian announced that the Iranian government has allocated a budget of 60 trillion rials ($213 million) to boost tourism infrastructure all over the country.

The money will be used to complete, restore, and equip accommodation centers, as well as strengthen tourism infrastructure nationwide, he added.

Last year, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts announced that the national tourism sector was growing before the coronavirus outbreak, its revenues reached $11.7 billion in 2019, which accounted for 2.8% of GDP, nearing the average share of tourism in the world GDP, which was 3.2 percent.

Iran was ranked as the second fastest-growing country in tourism based on data compiled by the World Tourism Organization.

Experts expect Iran to achieve a tourism boom after the coronavirus is contained, believing its impact would be temporary and short-lived for a country that ranked the third fastest-growing tourism destination in 2019.

The Islamic Republic expects to reap a bonanza from its numerous tourist spots such as bazaars, museums, mosques, bridges, bathhouses, madrasas, mausoleums, churches, towers, and mansions, of which 26 are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Under the 2025 Tourism Vision Plan, Iran aims to increase the number of tourist arrivals from 4.8 million in 2014 to 20 million in 2025.

ABU/MG