TEHRAN – Media have helped change the mental image of people towards Sistan-Baluchestan province, which was being shunned by many potential foreign and domestic travelers.

“In recent years, a [mainstream] mental image that was influenced by people’s attitude towards Sistan-Baluchestan for years has changed with the help of the media so that we have been able to introduce a number of attractions in the province but there are still that should be introduced, and we have to work hard in this regard,” provincial tourism chief Mojtaba Mirhosseini said on Saturday, Mehr reported. 

“The media represent the people and they can be regarded as a bridge between people and authorities, and certainly fair critical reports will lead to amendments.”

For mainstream Iranians, the name of Sistan-Baluchestan conjures up stories of drought, desiccated wetlands, and dust storms. On the international scale, foreigners may consider it a reminiscent of the big red blot on the Iran safety map.

The vast province is home to several distinctive archaeological sites and natural attractions, including two UNESCO World Heritage sites, namely Shahr-e-Soukhteh (Burnt City) and Lut desert, parts of the latter is situated in Kerman province.

AFM/MG