New hotel to open in Kish, undersea aquarium planned
According to the head of the Kish Society of Hotel Owners Masih Safa, the number of five-star hotels on the island will reach three once Eram comes into line.
Safa told ISNA that Eram has the capacity to accommodate 500 well-heeled tourists.
He promised that two new hotels, currently under construction on the island, would provide services to vacationers by the end of the current Iranian year (March 20, 2006).
According to the official, the number of hotel beds in the resort island would rise by 700 with the commissioning of the new hotels.
Insisting that Shayan and Dariush are now the island's only five-star hotels, Safa blamed travel agencies for touting other lower-grade hotels as five-starred. "A great number of travel agencies add the number of hotel stars in newspapers ads – a distortion which dents travelers' confidence in the quality of services rendered in Kish."
He ruled out assumptions that the short stays in the island are because of the insufficiency of accommodation units, proposing that tourism fascinations be increased to keep travelers for a longer time.
Citing Tavus cruise ship as an example, Safa stated that with its 42 hotels, Kish boasts a large tourist capacity, 'yet the liner hardly cruises 10 times around the island to lure passengers every day'.
He said that the ship-owner is not doing much to help boost sightseeing on the island.
"Should attractions be enhanced, foreign and domestic tourists would stay longer in Kish," Safa reiterated.
Meanwhile, manager of Kish Dolphinarium told Fars news agency that projects to build a volcanic mountain and a submarine aquarium in Dariush Hotel are under assessment.
Mohammad Purqassemi added that the dolphinarium had been opened to public since 2003. It is home to marine animals such as sea lions, dolphins and penguins trained in Switzerland and Ukraine.
"The hotel's exotic birds garden also features 50 species including pelicans, flamingos, parrots, peacocks and ostriches culled from various countries," he elaborated.
Purqassemi unveiled a project to construct a seven-star hotel in Kish.