Iran's Social Welfare Organization is targeting to send 40,000 retirees and pensioners on tours of national pilgrimage sites this year, the SWO's deputy head for socio-cultural affairs said.
Speaking with ISNA on Friday, Mohammad Reza Jafarian said, "During the past Iranian year [ended March 20], about 33,000 pensioners covered by the SWO were sent on tours to the cities of Mashhad, Qom and Shiraz."
"Under the touring program, 300 to 400 people have visited pilgrimage destinations each week since the beginning of the current year," he said.
The organization is also seeking to book hotels closer to the Shrine of Imam Reza (PBUH) through tenders so that pensioners can more easily access the site.
"Until the tenders are finalized, retirees will be accommodated in previous hotels," the officials said.
The SWO plans to diversify its touring services to also include non-pilgrimage destinations, Jafarian added.
"We plan to hold day-long summer tours to metropolises in the summer… We have just received the budget allocated for such tours."
Under this plan, applicants would pay part of the costs so that the service could be offered to a greater population.
