Over four million tourists visit Fars Province in 10 months

Almost 4.5 million Iranian and foreign tourists visited the southern province of Fars during in the 10 months from March 21, 2018-January 20, 2019.

According to IRNA, every year, many Iranians and foreigners travel to Fars Province to pay tribute to revered poets, visit the ancient capital of Iranian empire Persepolis and enjoy the mild weather.

"In total, 4,425,897 domestic and foreign tourists visited the various cultural and historical places in Fars Province during the period," said Mosayeb Amiri, the head of Fars Province's Tourism Department.

The provincial capital Shiraz, almost 1,000 kilometers south of Tehran, is home to the tombs of great Persian poets Hafez and Sa'di — two of the most revered Iranian poets of all time. Each year, many foreign and Iranian tourists alike flock to their gravestones to recite their poems. Also, the ruins of the ancient Iranian capital Persepolis attracts tourists from all around the world.

The official added that the province recorded a 21-percent increase in the number of the visitors who traveled to the southern province during Norouz, the Iranian New Year holidays (March 21-April 4, 2018), compared to the same period in 2017.

"Almost 1.86 million tourists visited Fars Province during Norouz holidays in 2018 while the figure for the year earlier there were 1.55 million tourists," said Amiri, adding that the number shows a 21-percent increase.