TEHRAN—Tourism-related projects worth three quadrillion rials ($10 billion) are currently underway across Iran, an official with the tourism ministry has said.Some of the projects, which are under construction in different provinces, have achieved 70 percent physical progress so far, ILNA quoted Ahmad Tajari as saying on Wednesday.A total of 183 projects are also scheduled to be inaugurated nationwide during the national tourism week (September 27- October 3), the official added.A budget of 310 trillion rials ($1.1 billion) has been channeled into the projects, he noted.These projects, which include hotels, apartment hotels, eco-lodges, traditional restaurants, and tourist complexes, are expected to generate some 2200 job opportunities, he mentioned.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/ AM