Iran Front Page - The Iranian tourism department has unveiled a first capsule hotel in the country as authorities seek to expand tourism amenities for budget-conscious travelers.

Iran�s minister of tourism Ali Asghar Mounessan unveiled a first sample of the new capsule hotel in the ministry�s headquarters in downtownTehran on Saturday.

A report by the ministry�s news website CHTN.ir said that the government plans to set up 200 beds in capsule hotels in the top traveler destination city of Mashhad as well as in Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz and Tabriz.



Mounessan said the low budget accommodation could help travelers and renters in areas like nature camps, airports and railway stations.

�One of the benefits of this (type of) accommodation is that it would cause a real change in ecotourism camps,� said the minister.

Launched for a fist time in�Japan for purposes other than tourism, capsule hotels have become a low-budget form of accommodation for many people around the world. However, rooms in a capsule hotel can only be used for sleeping and no more.