Iran eyes marine tourism hub in northern ports
Ports along the Caspian Sea coast in northern Iran will soon be turned into major marine tourism hubs, said deputy head of Ports and Maritime Organization.
Hadi Haqshenas further told ISNA that a tourism route stretching from the port of Anzali in Gilan Province to the Caspian Sea coastline in Mazandaran Province will be created in the near future.
He added that the Caspian Sea littoral states view the project positively and the ports can attract beachgoers and tourists interested in marine tourism.
“We currently lack tourism facilities and resorts in the coastal areas and plans are underway to develop recreational facilities along the coastline,” Haqshenas added.
Noting that the government needs foreign finance to proceed with the plans, he said that such projects can potentially attract foreign investors.
His remarks came after Mohammad Rastad, Iran’s deputy minister of roads and urban development, announced the government’s decision about the two ports.
While Gilan’s marine tourism potential has been known for years, it wasn’t until 2015 that plans to develop them were finally put in motion, thanks to private sector involvement.
Gilan’s 300-kilometer coastline stretches from Chaboksar to Astara, but it lacks tourism infrastructure. However, the proposed plans aim to remedy the problem by financing projects in Anzali, Chamkhaleh and Astara.
The popular province has 87 hotels, 23 hotel apartments, 47 inns, 233 roadside diners and cafés and 53 travel agencies.
Iran’s coastal regions have the potential to attract three million foreign visitors a year, according to tourism and environment officials.
According to IRNA, Gholamreza Ansari told reporters during a visit to a cargo terminal in Iran’s border city of Astara on Tuesday, “The Iranian government