TEHRAN -- Iran’s Cultural Heritage Tourism and Handicrafts Organization (CHTHO) plans to hold the second edition of Iran Tourism Festival, which promotes nationwide contribution of trip trotters to tourism industry.

The festival calls Iranians to introduce lesser known travel destinations and attractions of the country through photos, memoirs, 60-second films as well as innovative proposals.

“The festival will be held nationwide however we acclaim ideas, which can be useful to attract foreign tourists as well,” CHTHO Deputy Director for Tourism Affairs Morteza Rahmani-Movahhed told the Tehran Times in a press conference on Sunday.

The festival is considered as a bridge between travelers and organizations, which are policy makers in tourism industry, he added.

The participants can submit their works to the secretariat of the gala until August 22, he said.

The winners will be announced during World Tourism Day celebration on September 27, he added.

--------------- Iran’s Tourism industry is blooming!


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

Price Competitiveness in the Tourism and Travel Industry is the lower costs related to travel in a country increase its attractiveness for many travelers as well as for investing in the T&T sector.

Iran made it onto the top destination lists of major publications such as The Financial Times and The Guardian last year thanks to sights that include 2,500-year old ruins at Persepolis near Shiraz and 16th-century Islamic architectural gems in Isfahan.

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.

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