Kish Island is gradually transforming into a place for residential constructions. The island, meant to be a tourism attraction and a dynamic and competitive place for free trade, is increasingly seeing residential towers changing the skyline, said Majid Reza Hariri, head of the imports commission of Iran Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Kish is a major coral reef islands in the world. But for real estate developers, there is more money to be made from the residential boom than preserving the environment for tourism, Alef News Agency reported.
The number of towers is so high, that no visitor can ignore them. Lands sales are booming, and the island’s main mission of attracting tourists has been forgotten. The number of residential/business towers exceeds the hotels.
“Even if we put aside the tower construction for a moment, the economic situation is also not conducive as it it is mainly focused on sales of low-quality Chinese goods.”
While the variety of goods is favorable, the quality has declined. In other words, the island has emerged as a gateway to imports “without official permission.”
The island’s hotels are distressed and investors are not willing to spend on renovation. Even the quality of the newly-built hotels is not up to the mark.
Hariri stressed that the island should “be freed from the current shackles” and steps taken for further developing the island as a trade zone.
The island’s ecosystems are being destroyed. For example, the land on which stood an old zoo has now been excavated for construction of a high-rise building. The trees have vanished and it is not clear what will be the island’s future, he rued.
