The Government of Iran has come up with new plans to open more museums and construct more residential facilities in the Kurdistan province. This report was confirmed by the Chief of Cultural Heritage of Handcrafts and Tourism Organization of Kurdistan, Farhad Meimanatabadi.
This plan is being undertaken due to the massive inflow of tourists during the Norwuz celebrations in the previous year. The total number of visitors to Kurdistan province shot up by a whopping 66% last year and is pegged at 4.7 million tourists in total. Presently, the residents of Kurdistan province engage in agriculture and livestock as their sole means of earning.
This surprisingly large number of tourists would boost the economy of Kurdistan, and the inflow of tourists is only expected to grow in the years to come. Due to this, the local populace of Kurdistan would benefit greatly by attracting more tourists into the region, and the tourist facilities that are provided, such as accommodations and other tourist attractions, should be worked upon greatly.
Meimanatabadi went on to say that a greater number of tourists in Kurdistan would provide better employment opportunities for locals, and the tourists would also be attracted to stay. Due to this, the economy of the region would flourish greatly. Presently, the Cultural Heritage, Handcrafts and Tourism Organization of Kurdistan is responsible for the maintenance of all the cultural buildings.
They are now planning to enter into a collaboration with other private companies or organizations so that the existing museums and other sites of cultural significance can be maintained in proper condition. Farhad Meimanatabadi also said that they are inviting applications from private companies, so that they can enter into a partnership. He further notified the private companies who are interested in the partnership should send across their applications to the local offices of ICHO present in Kurdistan province.
The Iran Cultural Heritage, Handcrafts, and Tourism Organization, better known as ICHO is a wholly owned and operated by the government of Iran institution and is responsible for the maintenance of all the museum complexes spread across Iran. It is an educational and research organization and funds the ICHO.