Deputy Governor of the Turkish border city of Van, Ishak Cinar, expressed pleasure at the level of tourism relations with the Iranian Province of Ardebil.
"Van hosted over 500,000 Iranian tourists last year, mostly from the cities across the Iranian border, and we made every effort to ensure they were well-served," ISNA quoted Cinar as saying on Monday.
He was speaking on the sidelines of a tourism conference in Ardebil, the capital of a northwestern Iranian province of the same name.
Cinar praised the high tourism potential of Ardebil Province, saying, "What we observed in the province was unique capabilities in the tourism sector that, along with its rich history and civilization, represents a huge potential for attracting foreign visitors."
Among the province's most popular tourist attractions are the natural spas in the city of Sareyn.
"We are glad to see a regular inflow of 7-8 million tourists into the city, because it makes a major contribution to the region's economic development," he said. He did not mention the source of his data.
The Turkish province is preparing to host an annual tourism exhibition in the autumn.
"We expect a large group of artisans, businessmen and other visitors from the Ardebil province to show up," the official added.
Local media describe Van as a city of civilizations where history and nature intertwine.
It is an emerging Turkish tourism hub that holds its Iran ties in high regard as the Iranian market played an important role in its development in recent years.
According to Turkish media, 2.5 million Iranians visited Turkey last year and Turkey sustains its position as a top tourism market for Iran.
