TEHRAN –A total of eleven tourism-related projects are currently underway across Markazi province, the provincial tourism chief announced on Thursday. 

An investment value of 5.5 trillion rials (over $132 million at the official exchange rate of 42,000 rials per dollar) has been channeled into the projects, Mostafa Marzban said. 

The projects, which include tourist complexes, hotels, eco-lodge units, apartment hotels, and traditional restaurants, are expected to generate some 300 job opportunities, the official added. 

He also noted that environmental risks and benefits have been taken into account for the designs and implementation of the projects.

Last September, the Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Minister Ali-Asghar Mounesan said that over 2,400 tourism-related projects are currently being implemented across the country with a total estimated cost of 1,370 trillion rials (around $32 billion).

This volume of investment indicates that investors recognize the growing tourism sector as a new economy in the country and have high hopes for it, he added. 

Iran expects to reap a bonanza from its numerous tourist spots such as bazaars, museums, mosques, bridges, bathhouses, madrasas, mausoleums, churches, towers, and mansions, of which 26 being inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Under the 2025 Tourism Vision Plan, it aims to increase the number of tourist arrivals from 4.8 million in 2014 to 20 million in 2025.

Markazi province is considered the industrial capital of the country. It is rich in natural, historical, cultural, and religious attractions.

Hand-woven carpets and kilims, made in its cities including Farahan, Sarugh, Lilivan, Senejan, and Vafs are known internationally.

ABU/AFM