TEHRAN - Iran’s tourism chief has written letters to UNESCO and UNWTO directors asking them to take action against a new U.S. legislation that clamps visa restrictions on people who have traveled to Iran.

“This law violates the rights of tourists to have freedom in choosing their destination,” Masud Soltanifar said in the letter to Director-General of UNESCO Irina Bokova.

In part of his letter Soltanifar said, “We do believe that tourism has a critical role in spreading peace and reconciliation and can bring all nations and make differences as attractions.”

He added, “I urge UNESCO to support peace, liberty and right to tourism and point out the consequences of this unfair act by the U.S. on tourism in the world.”

---Tourism is against violence and extremism---

In his letter to Taleb Rifai, the director of United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), he called tourism an industry, which “contributes to mutual understanding and respect between peoples and societies and is against violence and extremism.”

Iran’s tourism chief said, “Approving these kind of laws does challenge and impeded sustainable tourism development… unless official authorities like you with your precious and remarkable endeavor in promoting this sector step forward to respond to these kind of incorrect decisions.”

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.

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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