TEHRAN — Iran and Oman have discussed ways to expand cooperation in several areas of tourism, particularly in sea-based and health tourism, during a meeting between Iran’s Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Reza Salehi-Amiri and Oman’s Minister of Heritage and Tourism Salem bin Mohammed Al Mahrouqi.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 26th UN Tourism General Assembly in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which opened on Sunday, Mehr News Agency reported.

Proposing three main areas of cooperation, Salehi-Amiri called for increasing the number of direct flights between Iran and Oman from 12 to 60 per week, organizing tourist car rallies and joint cultural events, and holding mutual tourism exhibitions in Tehran and Muscat to introduce the capacities of both nations.

Highlighting Iran’s extensive potential in medical tourism, Salehi-Amiri said: “With more than 1,000 hospitals and hundreds of thousands of doctors and specialists, Iran can provide high-quality and affordable medical services to Omani tourists. This sector can become one of the main pillars of cooperation between the two countries.”

He also invited the Omani minister to attend the Tehran International Tourism and Related Industries Exhibition in February to gain first-hand insight into Iran’s latest tourism projects and capacities.

Expressing satisfaction with the meeting, Al Mahrouqi said: “Iran is a strategic and historical partner for us and a source of stability in the region. The relations between our two nations are based on respect and long-standing friendship, and we have always welcomed the development of cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

He described the proposal for sea-based tourism as “smart and practical,” noting that Oman, with more than 40 ports and access to three seas, is ready to sign a memorandum of understanding with Iran to develop cruise tourism and exchange marine tourists.

Pointing to the growing interest of Omani citizens in visiting Iran, Al Mahrouqi said that Iran is an attractive, safe, and culturally rich destination with strong potential in historical, natural, and health tourism. He also supported the proposal to hold joint tourism exhibitions and collaborate on the registration of qanats on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

“We are ready to host an Iranian health tourism exhibition in Muscat so that the people of Oman can become familiar with Iran’s medical and tourism capacities,” he added.

“Iran holds a distinguished position in the region in the field of medicine and health services.”

At the end of the meeting, the two ministers emphasized expanding cooperation in marine, health, cultural, and exhibition tourism, and agreed to establish a joint working group to follow up on the implementation of the agreements.

KD