Iran Tourism’s Economic Contribution Overlooked

A top official at Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization has complained that the travel industry's positive effects on economy and employment have either gone unnoticed or been attributed to other sectors. 
In a recent estimate, Mohammad Moheb-Khodaei, tourism deputy at ICHHTO, announced that the industry recorded a turnover of 10 trillion rials ($2.3 billion) during Norouz, the Iranian New Year holidays (March 21-April 2), ISNA reported. 
According to ICHHTO data, during the period between March 18 and April 6 that roughly corresponds to Norouz, 74 million night stays per person have been registered in the country, indicating a 20% increase compared to last year. 
The data also indicates that travelers have stayed in the destination for an average of 3.8 nights.