Vice President and Head of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization Masoud Soltanifar said that Iran's tourism is marching ahead thanks to government's support to the industry.
Speaking at a meeting with local officials on Saturday night, he said that while other sectors of economy are experiencing a recession, the tourism industry has started its developing trend.
He welcomed the role of private sector in tourism and said it has 500 hotels under construction in the country.
Soltaniar also said that in the last two years, average number of tourists visiting Iran increased 12 percent.
'Our forecast is that next year (starting March 21) will be a good year for tourists travelling to Iran,' he added.