Call for Easing Travel Restrictions in Ilam

The top tourism official in Ilam Province called for the expansion of tourism ties at border areas with Iraq to help boost local businesses and livelihood in the western province, which is beset with high unemployment and other economic hardships.
"The framework of tourist business with Iraq, particularly in Ilam Province, is limited and inappropriate and needs modification and improvement," said Abdolmalek Shanbezadeh, head of the provincial office of Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization.
"The ineffective model of tourism cooperation between the two countries has stemmed the two-way flow of tourists."