TEHRAN -- Iran’s Isfahan province is preparing to host a CINETOUR tourism film event in December, as the city seeks to use international cinema networks to promote its cultural heritage and tourism potential despite ongoing travel and aviation restrictions.
Davood Abian, deputy head of tourism at the Isfahan Province Department of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, said preparations are underway for the event, which is expected to bring representatives of CINETOUR’s international network to the central Iranian city.
CINETOUR describes itself as the International Committee of World Film Festivals, a network bringing together tourism-focused, documentary and short-film festivals, filmmakers, producers, tourism professionals and cultural organizations. The committee says its network currently encompasses 68 member countries and nearly 120 festivals.
Abian said organizers are working to facilitate the participation of international guests despite sanctions and the current travel situation. He said the precise number of foreign participants will depend on conditions in individual countries and the ability of delegates to travel to Iran at the time of the event.
An initial estimate puts foreign attendance at around 100 guests.
The event is intended to use film as a vehicle for destination promotion, showcasing the cultural and tourism assets of Isfahan and other destinations to an international audience. CINETOUR’s stated mission is to connect film festivals and strengthen international cooperation, including film exchanges, co-productions and projects centered on sustainability and cultural dialogue.
According to Abian, Can Saraçoğlu,
 president of the CINETOUR Committee, also expressed his willingness to attend the Isfahan event during an online appearance at the city’s Tourism Week program.
Abian said the response demonstrated interest within the international tourism-film community in holding a major event in Isfahan.
The Isfahan official said the province viewed the gathering as an opportunity for Iran to take a more prominent role within the international tourism-film circuit and to use cinema to promote Iranian destinations at a time when the country’s tourism industry faces significant international travel constraints.
The event comes as CINETOUR expands its international network. The organization was established in Istanbul in 2022 and says it now connects 68 countries and nearly 120 festivals. Its membership includes festivals and professionals working across tourism, documentary and short-form filmmaking, with the network emphasizing international cooperation, sustainability and cultural exchange.
Isfahan’s involvement with CINETOUR began earlier this year. The province represented Iran for the first time at an international tourism-film event in Türkiye and subsequently sought to host a future CINETOUR gathering. According to Iranian reports, the proposal received support from members of the organization.
The choice of Isfahan gives the initiative a particularly strong tourism dimension. One of Iran’s best-known cultural destinations, the city is home to major Safavid-era landmarks and UNESCO-listed heritage sites and has long been promoted as one of the country’s principal cultural-tourism destinations.
The planned event will therefore serve a dual purpose: strengthening Isfahan’s participation in an international network of tourism-film festivals while using short-form cinema and destination storytelling to increase the city’s visibility among international tourism professionals.