TEHRAN – West Azarbaijan province is slated to be marketed as a top travel destination for summertime, the provincial tourism chief has said. 

As a way to distribute travel fairly in the country and to develop tourism capacities throughout the country, the northwestern province as well as some other provinces will be introduced as summertime holiday destinations, Jalil Jabari said on Monday. 

Considering its history, culture, social and tourism potential, as well as the availability of suitable accommodation, hospitality, and leisure facilities, West Azarbaijan is ready to receive travelers and tourists, the official added. 

Before the coronavirus outbreak, the number of travelers to the province was increasing, but the pandemic halted that trend, he noted. 

However, the province was a popular destination for travelers during the Noruz holiday this year, he mentioned. 

Earlier this month, the official announced that some 1500 beds are expected to be added to the hospitality sector of the province. 

West Azarbaijan province will increase its accommodation capacity by 1500 beds upon the completion and inauguration of 30 unfinished tourism-related projects, he explained. 

A budget of 400 billion rials ($1.4 million) has been allocated to the projects, the official added.

He also noted that tourism-related projects generated 1,767 job opportunities across the province during the Iranian calendar year 1399 (ends March 21, 2020).

“The largest number of jobs is related to the issuance of licenses for handicraft producers, which has led to the employment of 549 persons,” he mentioned.

Last July, ISNA reported that the tourism industry of the country has suffered a loss of some 320 trillion rials ($1.1 billion) since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

The pandemic has also ruined more than 44,000 jobs in a once budding travel sector of the country, the report added.

Experts believe accommodation centers suffered the most as a result of the outbreak of the coronavirus in Iran and its subsequent unemployment and financial losses.

The provincial capital of Urmia, also spelled Orumiyeh, lies just west of Lake Urmia on a large fertile plain that yields grains, fruits, tobacco, and other crops. The population is mainly Azeri Turkish, with Kurdish, Assyrian Christian, and Armenian minorities. The remains of ancient settlements are scattered over the plain, as are traces of the ancient kingdom of Urartu.

West Azarbaijan embraces a variety of lush natural sceneries, cultural heritage sites, and museums including the UNESCO sites of Takht-e Soleyman and Qareh Klise (St. Thaddeus Monastery), Teppe Hasanlu, and the ruined Bastam Citadel.

The region was home to several ancient civilizations. According to Britannica, it was conquered by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC and was named Atropatene after one of Alexander’s generals, Atropates, who established a small kingdom there. Ultimately, the area returned to the Persian (Iranian) rule under the Sasanians in the 3rd century CE.

ABU/AFM