TEHRAN–Implementation of 12 tourism-related projects officially began on Sunday with ground-breaking ceremonies across Sistan-Baluchestan, the deputy provincial tourism chief has said.

On the occasion of Government Week (August24-30), the construction of the projects worth 140 billion rials ($467,000) has begun in different cities of the southeastern province, Mojtaba Mirhosseini explained.

The projects include boosting tourism infrastructure as well as building accommodation centers, the official added.

The projects, which are scheduled to come on stream by the end of the current Iranian year 1401 (March 2023), are estimated to generate 25 job opportunities upon their completion, he noted.

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 in the Indus Valley and the Babylonian civilizations.

The province possesses special significance because it is located in a strategic transit location, particularly 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 the Lut desert.

ABU/AM