TEHRAN -- Iran and Croatia signed an agreement to expand bilateral ties in the tourism industry.

The director of Iran’s Cultural Heritage Tourism and Handicrafts Organization (CHTHO) Masud Soltanifar and Croatia’s Minister of Tourism Darko Lorencin signed the agreement on Friday in Rovinj, Croatia.

Soltanifar travelled to Croatia to take part at the 100th session of the Executive Council of United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) from May 27 to 29.

The event was attended by 300 representatives of tourism ministries from all around the world.

The council takes all necessary measures, in consultation with the Secretary-General, for the implementation of its own decisions and recommendations of the Assembly.

According to the agreement, two committees will be established in Iran and Croatia to follow cooperation.

“Iran plans to attract over 20 million tourists by 2025,” Soltanifar said.

He urged Croatia to share with Iran their experience in the field.

Iran’s annual income from the tourism industry reached over $7 billion by hosting over five million foreign visitors, Soltanifar previously announced.

At the meeting, Lorencin expressed his gratitude over the attendance of the Iranian delegation at the UNWTO session.

“Regarding the increasing number of tourist in Iran and the potential of the country, I think it is possible for the country to reach its aim by 2025,” Lorencin said.

Lorencin travelled to Tehran last month and had several meetings with Iranian officials to discuss expansions in the relations of tourism between two countries.

Soltanifar also paid a visit to the Croatian Parliament Speaker Josip Leko on Wednesday and highlighted the cultural and tourist attractions of two countries, which may strengthen ties between Iran and Croatia.

Several Croatian private tourism activists met Soltanifar on Thursday and discussed investments in building hotels, foreign airlines and human resources training in Iran.

According to the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2015 conducted by the World Economic Forum (WEF), Iran is one of the most affordable countries for tourists amongst a list of 141 countries.

Egypt appeared in second place while Indonesia was next. Price Competitiveness in the Tourism and Travel Industry related costs related to travel in a country increase its attractiveness for many travelers as well as for investing in the T&T sector.

Iran is home to some of the world’s most magnificent historical and archaeological sites. Relics of a proud ancient civilization include: Persepolis, the capital of the largest empire that the world has ever seen; the city of Isfahan; Shiraz, the city of love and poetry; and Hamadan, where Avicenna, the father of early modern
medicine, is buried.

UNESCO has declared 16 world heritage sites in Iran, which was historically referred to as Persia in the west until the 20th century.


PHOTO: CHTHO Dirctor Soltanifar (L) and Croatia’s Minister of Tourism Lorencin ( R ) sign an agreement to expand bilateral ties in the tourism industry in Rovinj, Croatia, on Friday

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