TEHRAN Iran has begun offering direct tours from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the southern Persian Gulf island of Kish, which has been turned into a tourist attraction, an official here said Sunday. A first group of tourists from the UAE, Britain, Canada, Egypt, India, Russia, Syria and Turkey arrived in Kish Island Sunday. Mohsen Qarib, the managing director of Kish Island's Development and Tourism Promotion Organization, said about 200 foreign tourists were expected to visit via Dubai each week.

He said there were four daily flights on Tuesdays and Fridays and three the rest of the week. Kish Island, with its beaches and duty-free shopping centers, is one of the major tourism sites in southern Iran. (AFP)