Foreign tourists' arrival. Photo: IRNA

 
The arrival of foreign tourists to the country increased by 52% last Iranian year reaching 7.8 million tourists, Vice President and Head of the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran (CHHTO) Ali Asghar Mounesan said on Tuesday.

 Having 15 UNESCO World Heritage sites and the 10th country on Tourism Attractions and 5th on Ecotourism, are only small parts of Iran characteristics significant for the foreign tourists.

Iran is one of the rich countries of the cultural places, ecotourism sites and historical monuments which called the cradle of civilization in light of 7,000 years civilization. 

An array of museums, a myriad of ecotourism opportunities, numerous religious sites, Affordable healthcare services, extensive bus network and air and rail infrastructure are just a small part of Iran’s potentials for Tourism.

Tourists gives preferences for different destinations in Iran to see the glorious landmarks, spectacular nature and sight-seeings, special culture and others Iran has them all! 

This country has various landmarks and tourist resorts due to its history and geographical status, So it has something to offer for almost everyone, a variety of attractions enough to satisfy the variety of tastes and attitudes.

Such qualities make Iran a perfect destination, despite what most people think based on international propaganda and political decisions. 

The world Muslims are keen to travel to Iran as pilgrims, pay a visit to the holy shrines and also enjoy its natural sight-seeings and tourist attractions. 

Iranian people are famous for their hospitality and all those who visit Iran appreciate the culture of hospitality Iranians show when they come across the tourists. 

In 2017, 5.1 million foreign tourists arrived in the country, a 52 percent increase, compared to the same period last year, Mounesan said on Monday, on the sidelines of a visit to the historical site of Saad al-Saltaneh of Qazvin.

Pointing to the socio-economic function of tourism, the official added, "The speed of creating job in tourism is twice that of other sectors, and, thankfully, the Cultural Heritage Organization has also been successful in this agenda."

The Vice-President added that last year, 203,000 jobs were created in all three sectors of tourism, handicrafts and cultural heritage of the country, and small businesses were formed.

Mounesan said that over 2,000 investment projects are underway in the country, adding that 374 hotels are currently under construction, 180 of which are four to five stars.

“Last year, we had $281 million worth of handicraft exports, including $300 million worth of luggage exports, totaling $600 million worth of exports from the country," the head of the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran (CHHTO) added.

He went on to say that in the recent Baku summit, the twenty-fourth sites of Iran, the Hyrcanian forests of 300 hectares, in five provinces of the country were globally registered and the forests after the Lut desert were the second most natural work of the country that were registered.

In 2017, 5.1 million foreign tourists arrived in the country, a 52 percent increase, compared to the same period last year, Mounesan said on Monday, on the sidelines of a visit to the historical site of Saad al-Saltaneh of Qazvin.

Pointing to the socio-economic function of tourism, the official added, "The speed of creating job in tourism is twice that of other sectors, and, thankfully, the Cultural Heritage Organization has been successful on this agenda."

The Vice-President added that last year, 203,000 jobs were created in all three sectors of tourism, handicrafts and cultural heritage of the country, and small businesses were formed.

Mounesan announced that over 2,000 investment projects are underway in the country, adding that 374 hotels are currently under construction, 180 of which are four to five stars.

“Last year, we had $281 million worth of handicraft exports, including $300 million worth of luggage exports, totaling $600 million worth of exports from the country," Head of the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran (CHHTO) added.

He went on to say that in the recent Baku summit, the twenty-fourth sites of Iran, the Hyrcanian forests of 300 hectares, in five provinces of the country were globally registered and the forests after the Lut desert were the second most natural work of the country that were registered.