In first three months of the current Iranian year (started March 21), Americans ranked first among foreign travelers visiting North Khorasan Province.
They constituted 10 % of foreign arrivals to the province. The Swiss come in second, IRNA reported.

Total number of foreign tourists to the province in the said period suggests a sevenfold increase compared to the whole of last year, said tourism deputy of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Department of North Khorasan, Ghadir Afzoun.

Afzoun said the direct Mashhad-Frankfurt flight route was one of the main reasons for the increase, adding that efforts by travel agencies play a key role in the province�s tourism boom.

North Khorasan Province boasts 1,000 historical sites and 24 holiday resorts, and is among the most visited places in northern Iran.

The province�s tourism industry has also been helped by its location, situated on the East Asian path leading to Mashhad in Khorasan Razavi Province, which attracts almost 20 million people for pilgrimage to the Shrine of Imam Reza (AS) every year.

By Financial Tribune