Hotel project worth over $71m underway in Ardabil

TEHRAN –A four-star hotel is being built in the northwestern province of Ardabil with a total budget of three trillion rials ($71.4 million at the official exchange rate of 42,000 rials per dollar).
The project, which is carried out by the private sector in the capital city of Ardabil, is complete by 90 percent and will come on stream in the near future, the provincial tourism chief has announced.
Covering an area of 12,000 square meters, the hotel is expected to generate 200 job opportunities upon its completion, Nader Fallahi said on Wednesday.
The hotel is expected to make the accommodation more convenient for travelers during the high season, the official added.
He also noted that the hospitality sector of the province is open to private investors.
Back in January, Fallahi announced that more than 150 tourism-related projects are underway across Ardebil province.
The mentioned projects will prepare the province’s tourism sector for the post-coronavirus era when the number of tourists and travelers is expected to rise magnificently, the official added.
Last April, tourism authorities of the province announced that they have developed extensive plans to draw more tourists during the winter season to the province and make it the winter tourism hub of the country.
Fallahi had earlier announced that seventeen tourism projects, worth 1,500 billion rials (some $35 million) would be inaugurated in the province in near future. Ha said that the objective to launch tourism projects in the province is to provide tourists from all over the world and domestic tourists as well with the opportunity to use these facilities and select Ardebil as their prime destination.
Back in November Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Minister Ali-Asghar Mounesan said that investment in the tourism sector and boosting tourism infrastructure has not stopped despite the outbreak of the coronavirus in the country.
Sprawling on a high, windswept plateau, Ardebil is well-known for having lush natural beauties, hospitable people, and its silk and carpet trade tradition. It is also home to the UNESCO-registered Sheikh Safi al-Din Khanegah and Shrine Ensemble.
The province is very cold in winter and mild in summer, attracting thousands every year. The capital city of Ardebil is usually recorded as one of the coldest cities in the country in winter.
ABU/AFM