Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 22
By Rahim Zamanov - Trend:
An unnamed Japanese firm has declared its readiness to construct hotel chains in Iran, Iranian IRNA News Agency reported on Feb. 22.
The Japanese firm reportedly owns some 239 hotels across the world.
Iran's tourism industry is booming, with more foreign travelers visiting the country than ever before. So much so that Iran's President Hassan Rouhani hopes to attract 10 million international tourists each year.
Darvish Amiri, an official of Iran's Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization, said on Feb. 21 that some four million foreign tourists traveled to Iran in 2013, IRIB reported.
Amiri added that the figure was very small compared to a total 1.15 billion tourists traveling around the world in 2013.
The country currently attracts predominantly medical and religious tourists, although this is all expected to change as Iran develops new relationship with foreign nations.