TEHRAN –Introducing and promoting Kordestan’s tourist attractions could strengthen the tourism industry and attract foreign travelers to the region, a local tourism official has said.

To attract domestic and foreign tourists, the tourism officials of the province should emphasize Kordestan’s historical, tourism, cultural and natural potential, CHTN quoted Jamshid Jafarpur as saying on Thursday.

It is also on the tourism ministry’s agenda to strengthen and provide tourism infrastructure for Kordestan’s comprehensive development, the official added.

The private and public sectors need to cooperate and interact in order to develop the tourism industry in the province, he explained.

The name Kordestan refers to the region’s principal inhabitants. After the Turkish invasion of Iran in the 11th-century CE (Seljuk period), the name was given to the region comprising the northwestern Zagros Mountains.

It was during the reign of Abbas I the Great of Iran’s Safavid dynasty (1501–1736) that the Kurds rose to prominence, having been enlisted by Abbas I to help stem the attacks of the marauding Uzbeks from the east in the early 17th century.

Before the COVID pandemic, Iran tourism had constantly been growing, reaching more than eight million visitors in the Iranian calendar year 1398 (started March 21, 2019).

Mass COVID-19 vaccinations, consecutive fam tours for foreign tour operators, easing travel procedures, and fresh strategies, altogether, suggest Iran is determined to experience a tourism rebound with a greater reliance on its numerous tourist spots of which 26 are UNESCO World Heritage, and above all, its welcoming people.

ABU/AM