Tehran, Iran, Oct. 24
By Milad Fashtami - Trend:
Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization Director Masoud Soltanifar said that Iran's share out of the world's total $1.25 trillion tourism industry is only 0.5 percent.
"It is while Iran is among world's top countries in terms of tourist attractions," he said," Iran's IRNA News Agency reported on Oct. 24.
"Iran's share should at least be 3 percent," Soltanifar noted.
"Iran's tourism industry earned only $6 billion in the previous calendar year (which ended onMarch 20)," he explained.
According to the official, Iran is the cheapest country for tourists in the Middle East region.
"Iran needs to improve its infrastructure and transportation system to absorb more tourists," he added.
Soltanifar previously said that Iran is the world's 17th country in terms of safety.
Annually 4 million foreigners travel to Iran, but Soltanifar explained that only one million people spend money in Iran and can be considered as tourists.
Iran's First Vice President, Is'haq Jahangiri, said on Aug. 25 that the number of tourists visiting Iran in the first five months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21 - August 23) increased by three times compared to same period last year.
"Absorbing foreign tourists plays an import role in boosting the country's economy," he said,Iran's IRNA News Agency reported.
"The government will allocate special facilities to investors active in the tourism industry," he explained.
It was previously reported that the number of European tourists visiting Iran increased by 240 percent in the first 45 days of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21 - May 5).
Iran's tourism industry is booming, with more foreign travelers visiting the country than ever before. So much so that Iran's President Hassan Rouhani is hoping to attract 10 million international tourists each year.
Darvish Amiri, an official with Iran's Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization, said onFeb. 21 that some four million foreign tourists traveled to Iran in 2013, IRIB reported.
He added that the figure was very small compared to a total 1.15 billion tourist traveling around the world in 2013.
The country currently attracts predominantly medical and religious tourists, although this is all expected to change as Iran develops new relationships with foreign nations.
Edited by CN
