Iran’s Quest for Fair Share of the International Tourism Industry
By: Kayhan Int’l Staff Writer
International tourism is a multibillion-dollar industry, in which Iran could have a fair share, provided its natural wonders, rich historical sites, pilgrim centres, and architectural landmarks (both breathtaking modern developmental projects and the aesthetic beauty of Persian art) are properly packaged and marketed.
True, the poisonous propaganda of the western media, especially in the early years of the Islamic Revolution, may have discouraged American and European tourists from visiting Iran, but the situation has changed over the past few years, with visitors from Arab and other neighbouring countries availing of Iran’s offer of health tourism that includes excellent medical treatment for various ailments.
More and more globetrotters from hitherto untapped locations, such as China, have discovered the benefits of visiting Iran and viewing its amazing sites.
This has fueled added attraction for tourists in the West eager to visit Iran despite the US-Zionist propaganda against the Islamic Republic.
An indication in this regard is the current overcrowding of visitors at the ITB Berlin in the German capital where Iran has set up a 100-square-meter exhibition, as part of the policy to strengthen the Islamic Republic’s presence in global tourism markets.
Exhibitors from 190 countries are participating in Berlin this year to display the attractions of their respective homelands to over 100,000 prospective visitors.
Tourism in Iran provides a range of activities from hiking and skiing in the Alborz and Zagros mountains, to beach holidays by the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea.
Kish Island in the Persian Gulf attracted around 1 million visitors from Iran and other countries, while the number of foreign tourists to different destinations in Iran was over five million, generating several billion dollars to the national economy.
As for pilgrimage to the holy sites, the two main centres are the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS) in Mashhad and the holy shrine of his Immaculate Sister Fatemah al-Ma’sumah in Qom.
Each year millions of pilgrims from Iran and other countries visit these holy places.
According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, the size of Iran’s tourism industry has the potential to create jobs for 1.9 million people in 2025.
All this is possible, if tourism is properly marketed within the framework of Iran’s religious and cultural norms, away from the unbridled indecency of the western societies.