Behnam Moridi, head of the province’s Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Department, said the delegation of authority allows permits for investors to be issued in under 10 days, targeting long-stalled projects such as the Kenartakhteh and Kamaraj caravanserais, IRNA reported.
“Do not wait for state funding,” he said, urging the use of private capital to revive historic assets, adding investors would receive long-term usage rights proportional to restoration costs.
Officials said the policy could break a 16-year development impasse in Kazerun, home to key Sassanian-era sites including Bishapur and Shapur Cave, both part of a UNESCO-listed landscape.
Moridi also announced the imminent dispatch of technical and archaeological teams to assess safety upgrades along the accident-prone Bishapur access road, stressing that “people’s lives” take priority alongside strict preservation protocols. The route is expected to be widened manually under close supervision to avoid damage to heritage structures.
Local lawmaker Gholamreza Dehghan Naserabadi said “dozens” of people have died on the hazardous road in recent years, calling private-sector involvement the only viable path to safeguard and monetize Kazerun’s heritage.
He pushed for streamlined tenders and an end to bureaucratic delays that have deterred investors.
Kazerun governor Zeynolabedin Nikmaram highlighted acute infrastructure gaps, noting the county lacks a standard hotel despite its global profile.
He called for investor-ready packages to unlock projects ranging from eco-tourism to hospitality near Bishapur, positioning the region to reclaim its place on the international tourism map.
NOURNEWS