TEHRAN –Some 1500 beds is expected to be added to the hospitality sector of West Azarbaijan province, the provincial tourism chief has said.

The northwestern province will increase its accommodation capacity by 1500 beds upon the completion and inauguration of 30 unfinished tourism-related projects, Jalil Jabari explained on Wednesday. 

A budget of 400 billion rials ($1.4 million) has been allocated to the projects, the official added. 

Last April, the official announced that tourism-related projects generated 1,767 job opportunities across the province during the Iranian calendar year 1399 (ends March 21, 2020).

“The largest number of jobs is related to the issuance of licenses for handicraft producers, which has led to the employment of 549 persons,” he noted.

Last July, ISNA reported that the tourism industry of the country has suffered a loss of some 320 trillion rials ($1.1 billion) since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

The pandemic has also ruined more than 44,000 jobs in a once budding travel sector of the country, the report added.

Experts believe accommodation centers suffered the most as a result of the outbreak of the coronavirus in Iran and its subsequent unemployment and financial losses.

Months of steep recession has taken its toll. Many travel insiders, hoteliers, and tour operators have faced big dilemmas such as bankruptcy, unemployment, debts, and the prospects of not being competitive on the international level.

Panels of travel experts have mapped out new marketing strategies hoping Iran’s tourism would get back on its feet once again. For instance, the Head of the Iranian Tour Operators Association has said the international tourist flow to Iran will return to normal until 2022.

Iran is potentially a booming destination for travelers seeking cultural attractions, breathtaking sceneries, and numerous UNESCO-registered sites. 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.

West Azarbaijan embraces a variety of lush natural sceneries, cultural heritage sites, and museums including the UNESCO sites of Takht-e Soleyman and Qareh Klise (St. Thaddeus Monastery), Teppe Hasanlu, and the ruined Bastam Citadel.

The region was home to several ancient civilizations. According to Britannica, it was conquered by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC and was named Atropatene after one of Alexander’s generals, Atropates, who established a small kingdom there. Ultimately, the area returned to the Persian (Iranian) rule under the Sasanians in the 3rd century CE.

ABU/MG