Tehran – Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, with support from the United Nations Tourism (UN World Tourism Organization), has launched an online training programme on tourism marketing aimed at attracting Chinese visitors.
The 6-hour course, held over three days in English, is being implemented as part of technical assistance to Iran as part of the UN tourism technical assistance, said Islem Shohai, director of the province’s Marketing and Tourism Development.
Shojaei said the program was requested by UN tourism a year ago in response to changing global marketing trends. He added that the course was designed to improve knowledge in both the public and private sectors and was developed in collaboration with Chinese universities to strengthen Iran’s position in the Chinese market.
Approximately 50 representatives from the state’s private associations, tourism operators, and ministries, including Isfahan, Tehran, Fars, Kerman, Khuzestan, Gilan, Golestan, Kermanshah.
According to Shojaei, the training covers innovative and technology-based approaches to showcasing marketing methods, tools to promote tourism products, Iran, understanding the preferences of Chinese tourists, and reviewing the activities of other countries in the Chinese market.
Shojaei said China is the world’s largest source of outbound tourists, both in numbers and expenditures, citing UN tourism data. He pointed to the country’s growing middle class, revenue growth, digital infrastructure and government’s travel promotion policies as drivers for market growth.
He said Iran considers the Chinese market strategically important, not just because of visitor numbers, but also because of cultural, historical, commercial and nature-based tourism.
In early July, the Islamic Republic called on the Chinese government to lift visa requirements for Iranian citizens who want to visit China, with a move aimed at deepening bilateral culture and tourism ties. The proposal was made by Hojatra Ayubi, Senior Advisor of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, on the sidelines of the Ministerial Conference of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Ministerial Conference (SCO) on Culture and Tourism.
In 2019, the Iranian government unilaterally waived visa requirements for Chinese citizens who are willing to visit the country. The decision was made to attract more foreign tourists to the ancient country.
morning