The first group hiking program of Iran Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization’s staff from seven western and northwestern provinces was successfully conducted in Oramanat Takht, Kurdestan province.
According to ISNA, 65 participants from the provinces of Kurdestan, Kermanshah, Hamedan, Ilam, Lorestan, West Azarbaijan and Tehran succeeded to ascend the Kousalan Mount in two days and planted the ICHTO flag on the top.
An expert with Kurdestan Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department for promotion and marketing affairs said the province can be considered as an ideal location for promoting ecotourism and sports tourism.
Avat Mokari explained that boasting favorite climatic conditions in spring and fall, the province can host domestic and foreign tourists and hold sports tours, especially mountain and rock climbing.
Meanwhile, an expert with the organization’s Sports and Health Committee for logistic affairs, Haddadi, described the goals of the program as promotion of athletic activities among the organization’s staff, creating the sprit of joy and sportsmanship, boosting inter-provincial coordination in cultural and sports programs, and introducing local cultural and natural attractions to adjacent provinces.
Apart from mountain claiming, the sightseers visited Bell mineral water spring, villages of Hajij, Oramanat Takht and Daraki as well as Zarivar Lake.

Choghakhor wetland in Boroujen, Chaharmahl-Bakhtiari province

A Belgian firm is planning to invest in a tourism project in Choghakhor Wetland, Boroujen governor said.
In an interview with IRNA, Firouz Aqaei stated that a contract had already been signed with the Belgian company. The executive operations will start within a month.
Extended over an area of 400 hectares, international Choghakhor Wetland is located 80 km off Shahr-e Kurd, the capital city of Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari province. It is one of the scenic natural draws in southeastern Iran.
The official added that the company would construct prefabricated villas in an area of three hectares.
According to him, domestic investors will also implement two tourism projects in the area once the land needed for the purpose is prepared.
Aqaei unveiled that construction of a four-kilometer cable car line stretching from Choghakhor Dam to Kolar Mount is also at hand.
“As projected, floodlights will be installed to illuminate the wetland at night,“ he concluded.

Babak fortress is one of the most important historical sites of Iran, located in a mountainous region in East Azarbaijan province. This fortress was built during the Sassanid era; however, it is famous for the 23-year residence and resistance of Babak Khorramdin who fought against the Arab rulers of the Caliphate of Baghdad. At last, Babak was betrayed and murdered in this castle.
Following the recent excavations in Babak fortress and removal of debris, some important parts of the fortress, which had previously been unknown, were unearthed. Archeological excavations in Babak Fortress started in 2002, and some parts of this fortress were unearthed. The most important discovery has recently been made in this historical site which was finding of a staircase dating back to the beginning of Islamic period.
The main activities of the excavation team were excavating and restoring the western part of the main staircase. Due to the large number of visitors, this part of the staircase was not in a good condition and if nothing had been done to preserve it, it would have suffered a real harm in the future.
A 4.5x5.5 meter room with two windows, which must have been a guard room, was discovered during latest excavations in. There is a 35-meter corridor beside the room. This corridor leads to two towers which have already been unearthed. The discovered staircase and the two-floor building at the back of the corridor and towers all belong to the beginning of the Islamic era.
Experts believe that this building might have been a reservoir or food storage.
Stonework with mortar was used in the construction of this double-floor building, except for the staircase. This was a common architectural style during the Sassanid era. Therefore, it cannot be said for sure that the staircase and building were constructed during the same historical period.

Promotion of tourism industry is not possible in the absence of an efficient air transport industry, managing director of Islamic Republic of Iran Airlines (Iran Air) told IRNA.
Speaking at a gathering of tourism ministers and members of United Nations World Tourism Organization, Saeed Hessami noted that the ease and comfort of traveling by air has driven the majority of foreign tourists to prefer this mode of transportation.
Referring to Iran Air’s international flights, he said the company transferred 1.7 million passengers on European, African and Far East routes during last year (ended March 20).
Given the long experience of Iran Air in domestic and overseas flights, the company can play a substantial role in developing tourism industry, Hessami said.
The company has signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization, based on which it is committed to cooperate with ICHTO in the development of tourism industry. According to him, the flag carrier operates offices in many countries and runs five-star hotels which can be luring to tourists.
The official said, “Helping develop tourism is a national obligation.“
The First International Tourism and Handicrafts Seminar opened at IRIB’s Seminars Center on Sunday. Representatives of United Nations World Tourism Organization, international bodies, non-governmental organizations and private enterprises as well as high-ranking officials from tourism and handicraft organizations of different countries attended the two-day conference.

Chairman of Minoudasht Islamic City Council in Golestan province said although 300 million rials have been earmarked for implementation of a tourist project in Cheraq Tappeh (also called Hezar Pelleh), another one billion rials in credits is required for completion of the project, IRNA wrote.
Ayyoub Holakou added the executive operations for construction of a bridge in Cheraq Tappeh will start thanks to allocation of funds by Golestan’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department.
“So far, the municipality has completed construction of 500 stairs and a paragliding site with a credit of about 1.2 billion rials,“ he noted, estimating that one billion rials is needed for continuing construction of stairs, installing lighting fixtures, providing an access route, as well as purchasing lands in the vicinity.
Holakou called on provincial authorities and tourist investors to help with the completion of the project which, according to him, aims to utilize hidden tourist capabilities of eastern Golestan as well as enrich the leisure hours of families and youth.
In related news, director general of the department, Mahmoud Rabiei, said several sightseeing tours had been scheduled for Gorgan in an effort to introduce the city’s natural and historical attractions.
Rabiei pointed to the 130-hectare old texture in Gorgan, saying old mosques, schools, public baths, bazaars and mausoleums are tourist-attracting features of the city.
He invited those who want to visit historical sites in Gorgan to refer to the department.

Tourists on Si-o-Se Pol (The Bridge of 33 Arches) in Isfahan (Photo by Amir Rajabi)

Saint Stepanous Church in East Azarbaijan province

Iran Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization is to establish a local office in Jolfa, East Azarbaijan province, IRNA reported.
Breaking the news, chairman of the Majlis Cultural Commission added that establishment of the heritage department would help flourish tourism and protect cultural identity of the northeastern town.
“Jolfa boasts a wealth of sightseeing potentials and attractions which demand more attention by heritage and tourism officials,“ Emad Afrough said during a visit to the border town’s historical venues.
Highlighting its rich cultural history, he vowed that all Majlis deputies would join hands to resolve predicaments plaguing the city. The lawmaker, however, did not elaborate what sort of problems Jolfa is grappling with.
Meanwhile, a parliamentarian, who represents Tabriz, Oskou and Azarshahr in the Majlis, reiterated that a lot of cultural work must be done in Jolfa.
Seyyed Reza Mirtajeddini stressed that fundamental action is essential to protect Jolfa’s young generation against cultural onslaught.
Fourteen members of the Majlis Cultural Commission and senior officials from East Azarbaijan visited the border town last Friday.
Jolfa, Marand and Kalibar deputies as well as officials from provincial Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department, Religious Endowments and Charity Affairs Department and Governor General’s Office were also part of the entourage.
The delegation toured Saint Stepanous Church and paid tribute to unknown martyrs buried there. The church, registered on National Heritage List, is located 19 km west of Jolfa in Qezel Vank village. The commissioners insisted that the church be provided with welfare facilities and converted into a tourism-wooing site.
The team later paid a visit to Imamzadeh Seyyed Mohammad Aqa Mausoleum in Jolfa’s Nojeh village. The shrine is situated 75 km off a river bordering Armenia. Its history stretches back to Safavid era.
Managing director of provincial Religious Endowments and Charity Affairs Department, Mohammad Reza Notash, stated that the mausoleum hosted 200,000 pilgrims during March 21-April 4.

Thailand’s political crisis and an ongoing insurgency in the south are driving away Asian holidaymakers, with industry experts warning the kingdom could miss its annual tourism target, AFP reported.
The state-run tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has forecast that 13.8 million foreign tourists will visit the kingdom this year. Asians make up 60 percent of the total.
But the Kasikorn Research Center said tourist arrivals would reach 12.5 million, with tourism revenue seen at 460 billion baht ($12.2 billion), down from the TAT’s target of 486 billion baht.
Tourism is a key money spinner for Thailand, accounting for 6 percent of the economy. While the center’s forecasts of arrivals and revenue fell short of the TAT’s goals, both were still higher than in 2005.
“Protracted demonstrations and unrest in the south may intensify during the interim government,“ the center said in a paper. “This will affect the tourism atmosphere in the late part of the first quarter, and many tourists could delay or change their plans.“
Suparerk Soorangura, former president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, also forecast a slowdown in foreign tourism due to the unrest in the country’s south.
Apart from the Thai political factors, Kasikorn said foreign tourism could slow down in the summer as more Europeans would likely stay at home during the football World Cup in Germany from June 9-July 9.
Industry experts also expected a slump in domestic tourism due to soaring oil prices, which pushed Thailand’s inflation to a seven-month high of 6.0 percent in April.