www.canada.com - Iran, facing sanctions over its nuclear program, is gaining favour with an unlikely clique: skiers.
Snow, sunshine and $6 US-a-day ski passes fuelled a 40 per cent increase in foreign skiers visiting the Islamic republic in the past two years. Ski visitors reached 5,000 in 2005, according to the Tehran-based Iranian Ski Federation.
Iranian ski resorts, nestled in about 40 peaks that exceed 4,000 metres, plan to build on their popularity with advertising campaigns in markets including Germany.
Tourists say they're attracted by the novelty of skiing in a country isolated from the international community.
The number of skiers visiting Iran compares with 700,000 nights spent at hotels in Zermatt, Switzerland, during the 2004-05 season. Verbier, another Swiss ski resort, had 620,000 hotel nights, according to local tourism officials.
"Iran is a bit more unsafe, but it's more fun," said Hampus Huebinette, 24, a Swedish skier visiting Shemshak, Iran's steepest piste.
Ski officials say Iran's feud over nuclear fuel is hurting business.
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