Several tourism facilities were launched in the coastal province of Mazandaran in northern Iran on Saturday.
Ali Asghar Mounesan, the head of Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, attended the inaugural and ground-breaking ceremonies and also held a meeting with entrepreneurs, CHTN reported.
Two hotels in Ramsar County came on stream on Saturday. A three-star one with 36 rooms was built at a cost of 200 billion rials ($4.2 million) and created jobs for 16 people.
The other one was a two-star hotel with 25 rooms and employed 20 people. Its construction cost 250 billion rials ($5.3 million).
Mounesan later visited Tonekabon County to inaugurate an apartment hotel whose owner claims will offer five-star services.
"This is the first villa hotel in the country with each villa boasting a private garden, terrace and swimming pool," Tahmoures Mazaheri, the hotel's investor, said.
The first phase of a tourism complex in Mahmoudabad County was also opened in the presence of the ICHHTO chief on Saturday.
This phase includes classic and traditional restaurants that employ 50 people.
The construction of the other phase, consisting of an amusement park, traditional bath, massage center and other amenities, was also launched the same day. This phase is expected to generate 100 jobs.
The ICHHTO chief inspected the sites of Namak Abroud Coastal Complex in Chalous County and a five-star hotel in Noshahr County, which are also under construction.
Mounesan also visited running facilities like Dashtenour Tourist Complex in Nour County and Nane Gol-Abrou Ecolodge in a village in Chalous County.
Room for Development
During his visits, Mounesan regretted that tourism in Mazandaran has not developed despite its vast potentials.
"Marine tourism is still managed with traditional methods," he said, adding that upgrading the standards will not only generate added value, but also encourage investment in the province.
According to the official, 10 trillion rials ($212.7 million) have been earmarked from the National Development Fund of Iran in the form of loans for tourism projects in the new Iranian year (starting March 21).
"In the past, these loans were provided for the construction of hotels, but we will make efforts to offer the same for restoration and refurbishment of hotels as well at the same 14% interest rate," he said.
Mazandaran Province hosts more than 20 million tourists throughout the year and is among the most popular travel destinations, along with its neighboring province of Gilan situated on the coastline of Caspian Sea.
These cities are packed with domestic travelers on public holidays, despite the chronic traffic congestions on roads leading to the north.
Since his inauguration as the head of ICHHTO, Mounesan has reiterated the importance of developing tourist cities whose management calls for addressing the needs and preferences of tourists and the local residents.
Due to their huge popularity, especially with travelers from the capital, the northern cities have prepared facilities for travelers and fostered a tourist-friendly culture among the residents.
However, tourism services need to be modernized to meet global standards.
