TEHRAN— A team of French sightseers has recently toured arrays of lesser-known attractions in the Fahraj county of Fars province, southern Iran.

Ten French travelers paid visits to natural sceneries and cultural attractions such as centuries-old castles, and fortresses across the Fahraj county, a local tourism official said on Sunday.

“They also purchased souvenirs from handicraft craft stores.”

Fahraj has various historical and touristic potential to attract domestic and international sightseers, Hamid Vahidzadeh said.

“Moreover, there have been good investments in the realm of tourism infrastructure to meet the needs of our guests,” the official said.

Based on available data, some 715,000 foreign travelers visited the ancient country during the first three months of the current Iranian calendar year (started on March 21).

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 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.

AM