TEHRAN — Iran is seeking to reposition its tourism image internationally through digital storytelling, international content creators and modern technology, with Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Reza Salehi Amiri saying the country’s priority is to promote a more comprehensive narrative of “Beautiful Iran.”
Speaking at the first specialized gathering of international tourism content producers, themed “Magnificent Iran: Reimagining the Narrative in the Digital Age,” Salehi Amiri said Iran’s challenge is not a lack of tourism assets but how to turn its vast historical, cultural and natural resources into an effective global narrative.
Iran has around one million identified historical sites and monuments and approximately 43,000 nationally registered heritage sites. UNESCO currently lists 30 Iranian properties on the World Heritage List and 57 sites on the country’s Tentative List.
“Our problem is not a lack of capacity; it is how to make intelligent use of this capacity and turn it into an effective power in image-making and the tourism economy,” Salehi Amiri said.
He called for a shift from domestically focused promotion toward global storytelling, arguing that independent voices often influence international perceptions more strongly than official communications.
According to the minister, Iran’s tourism brand should encompass its archaeology and architecture as well as poetry and literature, music and cinema, food, traditions, nature and, importantly, the hospitality and behavior of its people.
He identified trust as the starting point for international tourism, saying visitors need to feel secure before traveling and experience security after arrival. First-hand travel experiences, he added, can significantly alter perceptions formed before visiting Iran.
Salehi Amiri also called for a new tourism narrative for southern Iran, highlighting Hormoz, Bandar Abbas, Bushehr, Khuzestan, Chabahar and Makran. He said the region would require a renewed international promotion strategy once current difficult conditions ease.
The ministry also plans to create a five-language Iran tourism content bank, bringing together material that can be used by embassies, cultural centers, tourism businesses and content creators worldwide. 
Salehi Amiri further called on
 tourism content producers to establish a professional association or strategic council.
Deputy Minister of Tourism Anoushirvan Mohseni Bandpey said the global tourism industry had entered an era in which traditional management was no longer sufficient. 
Digital technology and artificial intelligence, he said, should be used to understand markets, promote destinations, facilitate travel and improve visitor experiences.
He said Iran’s ecotourism, handicrafts and tourism infrastructure, including developments in destinations such as Isfahan, Mashhad, Yazd, Qom and Gilan, should form part of the country’s renewed international narrative.
“Magnificent Iran is seen through storytelling and made memorable through storytelling,” Mohseni Bandpey said, underscoring the ministry’s ambition to combine destination branding, digital content and technology to strengthen Iran’s position in international tourism.