Tehran – Iran’s Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts plans for the country’s tourism sector, predicting that the number of inbound tourists will exceed 7 million in the current Persian year, ending March 20th has been announced.
Speaking on the programme that aired on Saturday, Seyed Reza Salehi-Amiri highlighted Iran’s efforts to strengthen tourism ties with Arab countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain.
Salehi-Amiri outlines the province’s important priorities, saying that the main focus remains in countries celebrating Nowruz, including Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia.
He emphasized his strong cultural ties with Tajikistan and promoted the slogan “two states, one nation” to strengthen Iran’s cultural influence in the region. Recent diplomatic efforts have led to an agreement aimed at boosting tourism from Tajikistan, with plans to increase the number of Tajik visitors from 8,000 to 100,000. An important step in this direction is the mutual exemption from the visa requirements for air travel between Iran and Tajikistan.
Regarding the wider Persian Gulf region, Salehi-Amiri noted that around 3 million Iraqi tourists visit Iran each year, with Mashhad as their main destination. He expressed optimism about the significant expansion of tourism ties with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain. Furthermore, while Iran is actively working to attract tourists from China, Russia and India, the recent agreement with Pakistan aims to promote cross-border tourism.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Salehi Amiri reiterated Iran’s goal of welcoming 15 million international tourists each year. Despite efforts by Western media to portray Iran as unsafe, he argued that tourists visiting the country consistently described it as safe, beautiful and entertaining.
Salehi-Amiri also discussed Iran’s tourism infrastructure, noting that the country currently has 455,000 hotel beds, 1,435 hotels, 3,500 eco-lodges and more than 18,000 (other) accommodation centres. Masu. However, he highlighted the need for further investment and expansion. So far, during the current (Iran) year, 45 new hotels have been launched, with more projects in the pipeline.
In addition to tourism development, Iran is actively engaged in cultural conservation. The Minister revealed that 350 historic monuments have been restored over the past year, highlighting the importance of public cooperation in protecting the country’s heritage.
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