TEHRAN – The Islamic Republic of Iran seeks to develop its tourism industry as one of its high priorities, Leyla Ajdari, a tourism ministry official in charge of foreign tourism marketing has said. She made the remarks on Monday during the international conference of “Iran and the 30-year-old BSEC: Prospects for Cooperation” held in Tehran’s Institute for Political and International Studies. The conference was attended by a number of the officials of the foreign and tourism ministries as well as Lazar Comanescu, the Secretary-General of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), and the Secretary-General of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Khosro Nazeri, CHTN reported on Tuesday. Among its plans for the future, Iran prioritizes the development of tourism and seeks to strengthen and expand tourism relations with other countries, Ajdari explained. Tourism is vital to the economies of many countries in the world today, she said. In addition to stimulating inclusive growth and job creation, tourism can also aid in poverty reduction and promote sustainable development and peace, she explained. A strategically located country, Iran is a link between the Persian Gulf, the Indian Ocean, and the Caspian Sea, through neighboring countries such as Turkey and Russia to the Black Sea countries, she noted. For goods transit, especially through railways, this capacity is easily accessible and reasonably priced, which can be used by the tourism sector, she added.

 The countries of the Black Sea region are among Iran's target markets for tourism, she concluded. Last year the tourism ministry announced that tourism in the country was growing before the coronavirus outbreak, its revenues reached $11.7 billion in 2019, which accounted for 2.8% of GDP, nearing the average share of tourism in the world GDP, which was 3.2 percent.Iran was ranked as the second fastest-growing country in tourism based on data compiled by the World Tourism Organization.Experts expect Iran to achieve a tourism boom after the coronavirus is contained, believing its impact would be temporary and short-lived for a country that ranked the third fastest-growing tourism destination in 2019.The Islamic Republic expects to reap a bonanza from its numerous tourist spots such as bazaars, museums, mosques, bridges, bathhouses, madrasas, mausoleums, churches, towers, and mansions, of which 26 are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Under the 2025 Tourism Vision Plan, Iran aims to increase the number of tourist arrivals from 4.8 million in 2014 to 20 million in 2025.ABU/AFM