The 1st International Conference on Lut Desert Tourism (Local and International Opportunities) was opened at the University of Birjand in South Kkhorasan province on Wednesday.

The event consists of two programs; the scientific part of it is currently underway at the University of Birjand, and the second program includes a visit to the Lut Desert, widely referred to as Dasht-e Lut, on Thursday.

According to the executive secretary of the Conference, as many as 135 papers from UK, Australia, India, Turkey, Italy and across Iran had been submitted to the secretariat of the event.

The Conference topics include: sustainable tourism and development of communities; tourism and local economy; attractions in Iran’s Lut Desert; sports tourism; geo-tourism; ECO tourism; transportation and community development, among other topics.

The event aims, among others, to promote tourism in South Khorasan province and increase the effectiveness of scientific education and the modern tourism technologies.

A specialized economic and business diplomacy meeting is also scheduled to be held at Birjand’s Chamber of Commerce with a number of Foreign Ministry and Iran Chamber of Commerce officials in attendance.

The Lut Deseret is a large salt desert located in the provinces of Kerman and Sistan and Baluchestan, Iran. It is the world's 27th-largest desert, and was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List on July 17, 2016.

Source:ISNA