Iran sees significant increase of incoming tourists
By Abdul Kerimkhanov
Iran has intensified its efforts to realize significant opportunities for tourism development.
Iran is one of the most beautiful countries in the world with a 2,500-year-old civilization, a country that is visited annually by millions of foreign tourists. The cultural treasures of the country increasingly attract foreign tourists.
Tourist attractions, legendary cities, entertainment centers and delicious cuisine are just a few of the distinctive features of this country.
The most visited cities in Iran include the island of Kish, Isfahan, Shiraz, Mashhad and northern cities. Due to the popularity of these cities, tourists have many tourist attractions and various entertainment facilities, delicious food and rich culture in Iran.
Over 7.8 million international tourists visited Iran from March 2018 to March 2019, Ali Asghar Mounesan, the head of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicraft and Tourism Organization, said on the sidelines of a visit to the historical monument to Saad al-Saltaneh in Qazvin.
He added that the number of incoming tourists in Iran showed an increase of 52 percent.
Mounesan recalled that 5.1 million foreign tourists arrived in the country a year earlier.
Pointing to the socio-economic function of tourism, he noted that the speed of job creation in tourism is twice as high as in other sectors.
"Fortunately, the Cultural Heritage Organization has also succeeded in this direction," he added.
Mounesan noted that last year, as many as 203,000 jobs were created in tourism, crafts and cultural heritage of the country, as well as small businesses were created.
He announced that there are more than 2,000 investment projects being implemented in the country, adding that 374 hotels are under construction, 180 of which are four to five-star hotels.
"Last year Iran exported handicrafts worth $281 million, including exports in luggage worth $300 million, which made up about $600 million in exports from the country," he added.
Recently, Iran’s authorities made an important decision that will contribute to the increase in incoming tourists. A stamp will not be put to the foreign tourists’ passports at the entrance to Iran.
Thus, the Iranian authorities want to support the development of the tourism industry, as well as minimize the consequences for those who decide to visit Iran.
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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94
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