Iran Aiming for Major Hike in Tourism Income
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran has formulated plans to increase revenue from the tourism industry within the next ten years to an amount equal to the income generated by oil sales, Head of the country’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO) Masoud Soltanifar said.
In an interview with the Tasnim News Agency, Soltanifar said according to the plans, Iran’s income from attracting tourists will amount to the oil incomes in 2025.
Referring to a 12-14 percent rise in the number of foreign visitors to Iran over the past two years, he expected that the country will be hosting 20 million tourists in 2025.
Soltanifar described Iran as a “museum country” with invaluable historical sites and ancient handicrafts that need serious protection.
According to the official, the ICHHTO has compiled a list of 40 countries in order of priority, seen as the countries with the highest number of tourists traveling to Iran.
The main approach at the present time is to turn Iran into the hub of “halal tourism and religious tourism” for the world Muslims, he went on to say.
With a large number of attractive natural and historical sites, Iran is one of the most touristic countries in the world.
More foreign tourists are starting to arrive in Iran after a lasting nuclear deal between Tehran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) came into force and nuclear-related anti-Iran sanctions were terminated.
