Iran Press/Iran news: "Tourism, as an emerging economy in Iran, has had a good leap in recent years," Iran's Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Handicrafts Ali Asghar Mounsan said at the ceremony of registering the Hyrcanian Forests in the World Heritage List on Babolsar, Mazandaran province, northern Iran.
"Highly cultured Iranians have been protecting these forests during the years," he continued.
"Developed cities in the world are the ones which are being visited by more tourists. So tourism is also important in economic fields, as it is in social and cultural fields whereas it leads to more employment with less investment, which the result is equitable distribution of wealth," Culture, Tourism and Handicrafts minister said.
Mounesan said that Mazandaran province could become the hub of ecotourism in Iran.
"Foreign tourists, especially Europeans, have a keen interest in ecotourism, and health tourism is booming due to Iran's unique capacities, he said.
"During recent years despite all sanctions, regional tensions, decreasing the number of contracts tourism has boomed. Fortunately, the number of tourists is on the rise, both in terms of flow rate inside the country and in terms of investment rate," Mounesan noted.
Minister stated: "In 2017 there were 4,600,000 tourists visiting Iran and by the rising rate this number reached to 7,700,000 in 2018 and we predict 10 million by the end of this Iranian year."
205/209
Read more:
Iran's Hirkani woods registered as the world heritage
Iran's Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forests; the only remaining of its type in the world
