(Photo courtesy Wikimedia and Bahram Adshirinpour)
Nearly every country in the world hopes to make money from tourism, but some have a harder time than others, either because of difficult conditions or world hostilities. Iran is one of those, but it hopes, by 2025, to attract 20 million tourists and $30 billion a year from the industry.
And, ancient and modern, it certainly has historic sites and beautiful scenery to sustain it, but there are many issues between Iran and other countries that would have to be overcome first. Still, Iran is working at promoting its ancient monuments, its hand-craft industries and more. The new pedestrian suspension bridge at Meshgin Shahir, shown above, is in an area that’s been marked for its potential for tourism.
Under construction for six years or so, the bridge is expected to open this week. At about 260 above the valley floor, the 10-foot wide bridge spans about 1121 feet and is the highest suspension bridge in the Middle East.
