Iran expects 20 million foreign tourists in near future
By Sara Rajabova
An Iranian official claims that the country will witness a boom in the tourism sector should the international sanctions on the country be lifted.
Mohsen Qarib, head of the Iran Touring and Tourism Investment Company, has said Iran will face a “tsunami” of foreign tourists once a nuclear agreement is concluded and sanctions on the country are lifted, Press TV reported.
He went on to say that upwards of 20 million foreign tourists are likely to visit Iran within the next five years.
Iran is among the world’s top 10 countries for archeological and cultural sites, but it ranks 132nd and 160th out of 180 world countries in terms of its tourism industry and tourism revenues.
Qarib blamed sanctions and said negative propaganda played a role.
“No doubt, sanctions have created certain problems in the tourism sector, but the few tourists who come to Iran under the current circumstances are completely satisfied with the treatment they receive from Iranians and impressed by Iranian hospitality,” he said.
He added that these impressions endure even while a massive negative propaganda campaign is being waged against Iran outside the country. Qarib called on tourism agencies abroad to confront the effort.
On the other hand, tourism in Iran suffers from an inadequate infrastructure.
Qarib said the existing infrastructure is not capable of accommodating the possible “tourist tsunami” in the coming five years.
Iran needs to build 200 new hotels and do a better job of training within the sector. There are currently 70 hotels with 7,000 rooms, which can only handle 350,000 guests.
“For training and raising the quality of our services, we need enormous efforts to educate our tourism industry staff,” Qarib said.
Earlier, Iranian officials said the country plans to attract 20 million tourists annually by 2025, which could generate $30 billion of revenues.
The country is seen as one of the world’s top potential tourist destinations, as it contains a countless number of ancient sites. The country ranks fourth in Asia and first in the Middle East in terms of the number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, with an impressive 17 historic sites that have been added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
In May, Mohammad Reza Sabzalipour, the president of World Trade Center Tehran, said some of the world's most prominent hotel managers will visit Iran soon to discuss investment in the country’s tourism and the construction of luxury hotels.
Iran's tourism industry is booming, with more foreign travelers visiting the country than ever before. The Iranian government has recently focused on the development of the tourism sector. Iran's President Hassan Rouhani is hoping to attract 10 million international tourists each year.
For the first time in 35 years, the number of tourists who traveled to Iran exceeds the number of Iranian tourists visiting other countries.
Iran’s rich nature offers a myriad of recreational opportunities.
The country also thrives on religious tourism, which is growing fast amid development taking place in the country’s leading pilgrimage destination, Mashhad. The majority of incoming tourists in Iran currently are religious tourists visiting the notable Shia shrine of Imam Reza in the city.
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Sara Rajabova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on
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