In order to develop the comprehensive plan for exemplary tourist cities over the next three to four months, a $34,000 budget has been allocated to Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO). Since the fund is limited, it has been decided that from a total of 13 exemplary cities, priority will be given to the cities incapable of self financing their projects, over better resourced larger cities such as Rey and Shiraz, said director general of exemplary tourist regions and infrastructure department at ICHHTO. Cities to receive funding include: 11 cities of Nishabur, Bastam, Ramsar, Lahijan, Taft, Abarkouh, Meybod, Sareyn, Mahan, and Damavand, situated in the provinces of Khorasan Razavi, Semnan, Mazandaran, Gilan, Yazd, Ardabil, Kerman, and Tehran. Kashan is waiting government approval to be added to the list. A series of trips have been designed for experts of the exemplary tourist cities working group to visit the tourism infrastructures, first of which will be to Nishabur scheduled for January 17.
