In a trip to Lorestan on Thursday, Ali Asghar Mounesan, head of Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, met with provincial authorities who made a point of voicing demands for the betterment of the province's travel industry. 
"It is not proper that on holidays people just head for northern provinces, braving hours-long traffic jams … although these areas have multiple attractions, the natural beauties of western provinces are no less in their allure," the officials said.
Mousa Khademi, governor general of Lorestan, complained that the province has not received due attention in terms of tourism the way it deserves and hoped that Mounesan's journey will help redress the situation, CHTN reported.  
"The historical and natural attractions combined with the locals' warm hospitality signal that tourism should be the pivot of development in Lorestan," he said.