President: West Spreading Iranophobia for Colonial Ends

Date: 12 February 2024 - 21:53

News ID: ۱۲۴۵۸۸

TEHRAN -- President Ebrahim Raisi here Monday highlighted the significance of promoting tourism industry, stressing the need for the country’s enhanced interaction with international organizations active in the sector.
The Iranian president made the remarks during a meeting with Secretary General of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Zurab Pololikashvili on the sidelines of the 17th Tehran International Tourism and Related Industries Exhibition on Monday.
“More knowledge by the World Tourism Organization about Iran and its cultural and civilizational capacities as well as its tourist attractions will play an important role in introducing such capacities to various countries,” Raisi said.
The president hailed the positive cooperation between UNWTO and Iran’s Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Heritage and called on Pololikashvili to visit the country’s tourist attractions.
The president further emphasized that some Western countries seek to spread Iranophobia to achieve their won colonial objectives and stressed the need to counter such plots.
The UNWTO chief, for his part, commended Iran’s efforts to attach importance to the tourism industry and criticized certain Western media for spreading propaganda against the Islamic Republic.
Pololikashvili said he is visiting Iran to introduce the Iranian nation’s rich culture and civilization as well as the country’s historical and tourist attractions to the world.
He noted that Iran’s move to cancel visas for dozens of countries would play a very important role in developing the country’s tourism industry, especially health tourism, given its great capacities.