[custom_adv] Many of the new visitors are young backpackers from Europe and Asia, drawn by Iran's history and culture. The most popular destinations include the ancient cities of Esfahan and Shiraz. [custom_adv] It's also home to Persepolis, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Many of those travelers are looking for budget accommodation, said Jalal Rashedi, who runs five hostels across the country. He offers bed and breakfast for as little as $15 a night, including internet access. [custom_adv] Filled from corner to corner with ancient bazaars, museums, mosques, monuments, gardens and palaces set inside bustling cities, historical ruins and rich rural landscapes, the country is increasingly filled with camera-wielding Westerners seeking adventure, archeology and art. [custom_adv] “Iran is a bright star. The potential is enormous, likely to become the leading tourism market in the Middle East and North Africa region, providing the infrastructure is able to develop and cope with changes,” Nikola Kosutic, head of research for the Middle East region at international market research firm Euromonitor, predicted. [custom_adv] Two young students learning to speak English often frequent Yazd's "Alexander's Prison" eager to meet tourists to help them with their language skills. Built in the 15th century, the "prison" has historically been thought of as a dungeon built by Alexander the Great, although that is largely now considered a myth. [custom_adv] Euromonitor’s latest report says that the current government seeks to encourage international tourism because, above all, it needs the revenue. Foreigners pay twice the price to enter most public places and exhibits. [custom_adv] Persepolis, in the Iranian province of Fars, the original home of the Persian people. Persepolis was the ceremonial capital of the Archaemid Empire (550-330 BC) (Hollie McKay) [custom_adv] Even though the U.S. still has financial sanctions in full force, hotel groups based outside America, such as the French Accor Group, the UAE’s Rotana and Spain’s Melia, have already made their way in. [custom_adv] The staunchly Islamic Republic is also marketing itself as a beacon of religious diversity – allowing outsiders to visit its various churches, with the Armenian quarter known as Jolfa and its lauded Vank Cathedral in the city of Isfahan a growing drawing card. [custom_adv] There also is an additional promotion of “medical tourism,” in which foreigners can undergo relatively cheap elective and non-elective surgery procedures in plush places. [custom_adv] Crime rates remain extremely low, along with very rare instances of terrorist attacks compared with much of the world, and Iranians of all ages and backgrounds are heralded for their hospitality. [custom_adv] But due to the three-decades-old American-led embargo, Western credit cards don’t work, meaning travelers must bring wads of cash.The caveat is that local foods, teas, Persian poetry books and nomadic carpets are all on the relatively low-cost side. [custom_adv] "During the past few years we have had a rise in the number of tourists who are young, and they're individual travelers,". "They're young, curious, adventurous people who want to discover the truth about Iran, and they mostly stay at hostels." A World Economic Forum report earlier this year named Iran as the world's cheapest travel destination. [custom_adv] But travelers still face obstacles. Americans, Brits and Canadians need to apply for a visa in advance, while citizens of many other Western countries can get one on arrival. [custom_adv] And because some sanctions remain in place, the country has few links to international banking networks and Western credit cards won't work there. [custom_adv] That means it can be difficult to make payments in advance to secure reservations. To get around that, Rashedi launched a website to allow travelers to make reservations at his hostels, and those operated by others, without payments. [custom_adv] Such array of encouraging accounts have convinced more backpackers to set foot in the country and feel it so that they are able to judge between what they experience and what Western propaganda disseminates. [custom_adv] Following a landmark nuclear deal Tehran and world powers clinched in 2015, is repeatedly named as a hot travel destination by a circle of international media outlets. [custom_adv] Filled from corner to corner with ancient bazaars, museums, mosques, monuments, gardens and palaces set inside bustling cities, historical ruins and rich rural landscapes, the country is increasingly filled with camera-wielding Westerners seeking adventure, archeology and art. [custom_adv] This country has launched extensive plans to bolster its tourism sector. Under the 2025 Tourism Vision Plan, the country is expecting to increase the number of tourism arrivals from 4.8 million in 2014 to 20 million in 2025. [custom_adv] Emerging from years of strict economic sanctions and an image tarnished by certain media outlets, now experiencing significant boom in Western tourist arrivals as the country harbors a rich cultural heritage and history and maybe above all being home to many hospitable people. [custom_adv] France's Accor (ACCYY) was the first chain to open in 2015. It now operates two hotels there. [custom_adv] Spain's Melia (SMIZF) will open its first hotel next year. Rotana of the United Arab Emirates also has one hotel in the pipeline for early next year and plans three more by 2020. EasyHotel, a U.K.-based budget chain, is reported to have signed a deal in July to deliver 500 rooms. It did not respond to a request for comment.