A tourism official said the move followed a proposal by the provincial tourism authority.
“The proposal for Mazandaran to be the tourism capital of ECO member states was presented to the then head of the country’s Tourism Organization by the Tourism Department as well as Governor General’s Office of Mazandaran Province around 6 months ago,” said Seifollah Farzaneh, the director general of the provincial Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Department.
He said choosing Mazandaran as the hub of tourism is a major development in the province’s tourism industry.
According to the official, Mazandaran’s potential and actual tourist attractions as well as its pleasant climate can contribute to absorbing more visitors.
He said ECO countries not only share political-geographical boundaries, but have common cultures as well.
The Economic Cooperation Organization or ECO is an Asian political and economic intergovernmental organization which was founded in 1985 in Tehran by the leaders of Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey.
It provides a platform to discuss ways to improve development and promote trade and investment opportunities.
The ECO is an ad hoc organisation under the United Nations Charter. The objective is to establish a single market for goods and services, much like the European Union.
The ECO’s secretariat and cultural department are located in Iran, its economic bureau is in Turkey and its scientific bureau is situated in Pakistan.
