President: Iran Ready to Welcome Tourists with Open Arms
TEHRAN (Tasnim) –Tourism as one of the most effective means of public diplomacy can help improve interactions between nations and lead to peace and fraternity, said Iran's president on Sunday.
“I would like to emphasize once more the great significance of tourism as one of the most important means of public diplomacy that can help create relations and interactions among nations and lead to cultural proximity and mutual understanding of cultures and traditions, ” President Rouhani said while addressing a conference on tourism.
Iran which enjoys a brilliant civilizational background, hospitable people, a rich cultural heritage and a diverse, beautiful landscape and climate is ready to welcome tourists, said the president.
Iran is expected to attract some 20 million foreign tourists by 2025, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said last month.
“We can reach that level (in attracting foreign tourists) if we work on scientific, religious and health tourism,” Iranian Permanent Ambassador and Delegate to UNESCO Mohammad Reza Majidi told Tasnim.
Iran's '20-Year Vision' document projects investment of over $32bln in the country's tourism sector. The document also predicts that Iran will be able to attract two percent of international tourists by 2025.