TEHRAN—Zanjan province has golden chances for investment. It has unique capacities in various fields including tourism.

According to statistics, more than 2,000 historical monuments have been identified in this province, of which 925 have been registered in National Heritage List, and the existing capacities in this area have made Zanjan a safe and secure place for the investment, IRNA reported.
Zanjan is a province whose huge tourism capacity can be found not only in its historical and religious monuments, but also in its nature, customs, and even its special climate, all of which are ready to host tourists appropriately.
With 27 tourist attractions, this province ranks 13th in the country in terms of tourism. Soltaniyeh Dome as the largest brick dome in the world, Katale-Khor Cave, the largest and most unique limestone cave in the world, Rakhtshooy Khaneh and the Salt Men Museum are among the most visited collections that are always welcomed by the tourists, and the thousand-year-old knife, copper, tapestry and many other handicrafts made by Zanjani artists are world famous.
However, Zanjan is still considered a province that tourists pass through and its tourist numbers are very low compared to the tourist provinces, and the number of about 79,000 tourists during Nowruz is very insignificant compared to more than 6 million tourists in northern cities and 700,000 tourists in Hamedan and Qazvin provinces which neighbor Zanjan.
This shows that Zanjan needs to invest more in infrastructure to host guests and become a tourist destination, and this issue has not gone unnoticed by provincial officials and the Ministry of Cultural Heritage. One of the goals of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) summit held in this province from October 19  to 21 this year was to enhance the province's international standing, develop non-oil exports, expand target markets, sign cooperation agreements in the economic, tourism, and scientific fields, and introduce Zanjan's investment capacities in this area. 
Representatives of ECO member states present at this meeting also addressed the issue of tourism development in the member states of the organization. By visiting tourist attractions and archaeological sites registered in the national list, they considered one of the organization's priorities to be related to the development and promotion of these sites as much as possible, and they stated that introducing its capacities for investment and standardization of tourism services is effective in creating trust among tourists. 
These members also emphasized that Zanjan is located on the East-West Corridor and on the Tehran-Europe railway route, and that it is necessary to use these potentials to prepare memoranda of understanding related to creating the necessary platforms for increasing tourism. Also, at the end of the ECO Summit, it was emphasized that Zanjan province will be recognized as the ECO Tourism Capital by 2029, and this could provide a bright horizon for those interested in investing in this sector and provide assurance of return on investment and economic justification.
Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Seyyed Reza Salehi-Amiri also emphasized during his visit to Zanjan in late November  that five main incentives have been approved for creating tourism infrastructure, and from now on, investors in all provincial cities can create mixed complexes so that it is also economically profitable.
He reminded that investors in this sector will enjoy an 80 percent exemption from taxes.
He suggested to the mayor and members of the Zanjan City Council that Zanjan should join the metropolitan cities that have reduced the construction fees for hotels and tourism infrastructure to zero.
Salehi-Amiri noted that the policy of the Government is to develop tourism infrastructure for Iranians and the world, and Zanjan will be one of the main axes of the country's five-year tourism plan. 

He stated: Zanjan province has all the necessary attractions to become a national and international tourism destination, and the infrastructure in this area should be strengthened by attracting investors.

He considered Zanjan a brilliant jewel of the country's cultural heritage and handicrafts and emphasized the need to develop its tourism infrastructure.

Referring to the 171-percent growth in tourism in the province, Zanjan Governor-General Mohsen Sadeqi  said that Zanjan province is known as a tourism phenomenon in the country and has an unparalleled capacity for developing tourism and handicrafts, so much that even foreign investors describe it as an investment paradise in this area.

He stated that Zanjan has the capacity to become an investment paradise in the field of tourism and handicrafts, given its social security, rail, air and highway communication infrastructure, and its location on the historical route of the Silk Road.

He stated: "This province is also one of the richest centers of Iranian-Islamic culture and civilization, and the existence of the Soltaniyeh Dome, the longest traditional market in Iran, the Salt Men Museum as the world's first natural mummies, and large water and land caves have turned Zanjan into a tourist treasure.”

Sadeqi noted that also, ancient rituals such as the mourning ceremony of Hosseinieh Azam (great Hosseinieh) of Zanjan have created a special place for the province in the country's spiritual heritage.

Zanjan province has 58 travel agencies, 16 sample tourism areas, and five approved tourist villages. 

Zanjan governor-general pointed to the province's tourism growth statistics and added that last year, this province set a national record with a 171 percent growth in tourists and became a tourism phenomenon in the country.

Sadeqi continued that the province hosted 76,000 domestic travelers and 1,621 foreign tourists, and the occupancy rate in 1,634 accommodation units reached 83 percent in November.

He also pointed to the province's handicrafts and said: “Zanjan is the heart of Iran's creative economy. With 12,000 artists active in 55 fields, 6,000 workshops, 1,400 insured artists, 130 national authenticity seals, 11 UNESCO authenticity seals, and 500 handicraft stores, Zanjan is considered the country's metal handicraft hub.”

He added that 7,000 tons of copper products, six million knives, and two tons of traditional jewelry are produced in Zanjan annually. “The turnover of copper handicrafts alone has reached 4,000 billion rials ($4 million) per month, and the registration of the world city of Malileh (filigree) and the geographical designation of knives have established the global position of these arts.”

KD