TEHRAN–Some 2,000 foreign travelers toured South Khorasan province during the first half of the current Iranian calendar year 1401 (started March 21), the provincial tourism chief has said.

During the mentioned time, over two million domestic tourists also visited the eastern province, Hadi Shahverdi explained on Friday.

The province has unique potential in the fields of cultural heritage, tourism, and handicrafts, the official added.

Back in July, deputy tourism minister Ali-Asghar Shalbafian announced that some 715,000 foreign travelers toured Iran during the first three months of the current Iranian calendar year.

“A total of 715,519 foreign travelers, mainly from Iraq, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, visited Iran during the first three months of the current year.”

The official said over 1,957,000 international travelers, the majority of whom were from the neighboring countries, arrived in the country during the past [Iranian] year (1400).

Iran’s tourism industry has tremendously suffered from the international coronavirus restrictions, so the number of foreign arrivals in 1399 decreased by more than 94% in comparison to the year 1398, the official noted.

“A turning point in the country’s tourism trend in the post-coronavirus period is the welcoming of tourists from neighboring countries.”

Iran’s tourism has experienced a boom in domestic tourism and numerous Iranian citizens traveling during the Persian new year holiday (Noruz), the increase in incoming tourists following the re-issuance of visas and the facilitation of the required conditions for tourists in post-coronavirus time, the official explained.

Last year, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts announced that tourism in the country was growing before the corona 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.

Iran seeks 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/AM