TEHRAN - Dezful, with a record of more than 10 million visits to its touristic attractions, has become the most visited city in Khuzestan province during a month, covering Nowruz and Eid al-Fitr holidays.

In a recent press conference, Khuzestan’s travel services chief unveiled the comprehensive statistics of spring holidays, while referring to the final consolidation of figures by the headquarters during the Nowruz to Eid al-Fitr period.

According to Mohammd-Hossein Arastouzadeh, the meticulous data compilation through the comprehensive monitoring system revealed that Dezful county emerged as the top destination in the province, both in terms of accommodation services and tourist footfall.

"Dezful, with a record of 10,568,349 visits, claimed the top spot as the most visited city in Khuzestan province during the one-month period,” the official noted, “followed by Shushtar with 5,603,827 visits."
Arastouzadeh also pinpointed that Andika, Shush and Karun secured the third to fifth positions as the most visited cities, provincewide.
Furthermore, the chief also outlined that based on the registered statistics, cities such as Izeh, Masjed-Soleyman, Shadegan, Lali, Bandar-e Mahshahr, Behbahan, Andimeshk, Omidiyeh and Ahvaz also ranked high in terms of visitor numbers."

Mentioning the province's allure as a vibrant tourist destination in the course of the spring season, the official disclosed that the average visit to each attraction in Khuzestan province exceeded a remarkable 88,000.

“A staggering total of 26,618,232 visits were recorded at various tourist attractions across Khuzestan Province during this period,” he stated.

Breaking down the numbers, Arastouzadeh highlighted that the historical sites received 7,923,481 visits, natural attractions welcomed 7,583,522 visitors, handicraft attractions saw 3,125,279 visitors and religious attractions had 2,733,398 visitors. Moreover, recreational sites registered 4,842,913 visits, while cultural attractions saw 223,703 visitors. Additionally, 1,487 visitors indulged in health tourism, and museums received 68,323 visitors.

Notably, 450,922 visits were logged for permanent and non-permanent handicraft exhibitions, highlighting the region's cultural richness and artistic heritage.

Arastouzadeh emphasized a noteworthy 42% increase in tourist visits compared to the same figure of a year earlier, underscoring the growing appeal of Khuzestan province among travelers.

Discussing accommodation statistics, Arastouzadeh revealed that the province registered an impressive 3,631,199 overnight stays across official, unofficial and emergency accommodations until April 12.
“Approximately 80% of hotel capacity was occupied during this period,” the chief added, “indicating a robust demand for accommodation services.”

Diving deeper into accommodation preferences, Arastouzadeh disclosed that 63% of tourists opted for unofficial accommodations, while 16% chose official accommodations, emergency accommodations accounted for the remaining 21% of overnight stays.

Notably, the total number of overnight stays in official accommodations reached 571,577, with hotels, apartment hotels, traditional inns, guesthouses, eco-lodges, guesthouses, tourist complexes and roadside service complexes, all contributing to the diverse lodging options available to visitors.

Khuzestan Province's exceptional performance during the Nowruz holiday season underscores its position as a leading tourist destination in Iran, offering a rich tapestry of cultural, historical and natural attractions to captivate travelers from near and far.