TEHRAN –A total of 50 tourism-related projects launched by the private sector are currently underway across the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan, the deputy provincial tourism chief has said.

A budget of 12 trillion rials ($40 million) has been channeled into the projects, CHTN quoted Mojtaba Mirhosseini as saying on Monday.

Hotels, apartment hotels, traditional restaurants, and eco-lodge units are parts of the projects, the official added.

The projects are estimated to generate over 150 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.

Projects underway nationwide

Back in September, the tourism ministry announced that tourism-related projects worth three quadrillion rials ($10 billion) are currently underway across Iran.

According to the ministry some of the projects, which are under construction in different provinces, have achieved 70 percent physical progress.

A total of 183 projects were also inaugurated nationwide during national tourism week (September 27-October 3), with a budget of 310 trillion rials ($1.1 billion).

These projects, which included hotels, apartment hotels, eco-lodges, traditional restaurants, and tourist complexes, generated some 2200 job opportunities.

Experts suppose the country is 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