TEHRAN – More than one million maritime trips from and to the island of Qeshm in the Persian Gulf have been recorded in the past two months, a local official has announced. 

Passengers and tourists do not have to adhere to any restrictions on trips to Qeshm Island because the island is free of coronavirus, IRNA quoted Ali Ashtari as saying on Saturday. 

Some 19 docks are currently available for passenger, commercial, and tourist traffic on the island, the official added. 

Back in April Mehr reported that maritime trips ramped up over the Iranian New Year (Noruz) holidays in March as some 1.4 million maritime excursions were made over the two weeks.

The data excludes port cities and regions named as high-risk zones related to the coronavirus pandemic; for instance, sea travels and excursions were restricted or even prohibited in Khuzestan and Bushehr provinces.

The Islamic Republic has launched projects to take advantage of southern coasts to make the best use of its maritime tourism potential using developing hospitality infrastructures, diversifying sea routes, and drawing private sector investors. According to official data, some 45 offshore terminals are operating on the northern and southern coasts of the country.

Experts say that the boom in maritime tourism can pave the way for Iran to meet its ambitious target of attracting 20 million annual tourists by 2025 as it also keeps an eye on tourism developments in the Caspian Sea in the north.

With widening facilities in the free zones of Chabahar, Kish, and Qeshm - each home to tens of tourist destinations - they would be able to draw sightseers all year round, not just during the wintertime.

Qeshm Island is a heaven for eco-tourists as it embraces wide-ranging attractions such as the Hara marine forests and about 60 villages dotted mostly across its rocky coastlines. It also features geologically eye-catching canyons, hills, caves, and valleys, most of which are protected as part of the UNESCO-tagged Qeshm Island Geopark, itself a haven for nature-lovers.

Many travelers to Qeshm believe that the Stars Valley or Valley of Stars is a “must see”. It is home to bizarre-shaped gorges, tall pillars, canyon-like paths, hollowed-out spaces as well as the smooth and round stones, which have been formed by the wind and rain eroding the soil, rocks, and stones. Locals believe that a star once fell on this area thereby creating the rocky shapes that make it seem as if from another planet.

ABU/AFM