TEHRAN -- There are so many unknown tourist attractions in famous Iranian cities like Isfahan and Shiraz, World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (WFTGA) Vice President Ruby Roy said in an interview with the Tehran Times.

“Culturally speaking, Iran is a very rich country but sadly many of its attractions are not introduced to the world,” Roy lamented.

Roy, along with Ivana Curuvija, the WFTGA’s head of training, travelled to Iran to assess the facilities for holding the WFTGA convention 2017 in Iran in late December, 2015.

They recognized the Iran Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (IFTGA) as the host of the coming convention.

----------- Teamwork among Iranian tour guides astonishing

“The teamwork between IFTGA members in different parts of Iran was astonishing. In such a coordinated team they are working heartily to improve the situation,” she explained.

Iran is an up-and-coming destination, she said, adding, “It is different from all the places. Persian culture and history is very rich. However, unfortunately Iran is not usually amongst the destinations of tourist guides. It is not because of their fear. It is complicated for them planning to travel to the country.”

For some countries there is a problem with visa and insurance, for some other countries with direct flights, and people always choose places which are more accessible and easy, she added.

“We cannot control the issuing of visa, but we have held some negotiations with Iranian officials and we hope it would be easier,” Roy said.

She also talked about the slogan of WFTGA Convention 2017, which is “Iran; Friendly Faces, Open Arms, Ancient Cultures, Timeless Charms”.

“I found it very true. It was important for us since we wanted to explain Iran correctly and the slogan fits the message,” she noted.


---------- Another trip to Iran: definitely yes!

“Definitely I will pick Iran personally as a destination since I prefer ‘off the beaten path’ places for travelling.


“I had visited Iran four times before. This time the trip was very busy but it was very good. We have visited Tehran, Shiraz, Isfahan, Yazd, Qom, Kashan, and Abarkuh.

“I had always imagined Iran that would be like Egypt, Lebanon, or India. But it is not, it is completely different,” she remarked.

***********She called Iranian hospitality an “intangible cultural heritage.”*********

“In term of hospitality it is very different from other countries. People are nice with tourists everywhere you go.

“Nobody is aggressive even in bazaars and do not push you to buy things. It really makes touching memories for people who visit the country.”

---------------- Iran is land of tourism opportunities

She went on to say that Iran has a wide range of tourist attractions, suggesting that tourism can be improved in the country in different fields.

“It would be a great destination for culinary tourism. Those who are interested in gardening, architecture, art and textile can also enjoy their trip to Iran,” she pointed out.

She named biking tourism as another option for tours to Iran.


---------- Fluent, knowledgeable tour guides

Tour guides are better known as an important part of tourism industry in each country the convention has ever been held, she said.

“If you want to have good and accurate information you should ask knowledgeable guys, or the tourist guides. Tourism institutes put much importance on training tourist guides.”

Nevertheless, she referred to some weak points during his visit to the country.

“Iranians are very nice and helpful but the language training should be done very seriously in the country.

“The fluency in language should be improved amongst Iranian tourist guides. It is not enough to know a language; a tourist guide should not struggle to speak with others,” she stated.

“Some intensive courses or dispatching to a native country for a short time would be very helpful to improve language capabilities,” she suggested.

She also said that she was shocked when she learnt that a traveler should leave passport in hotel.

“We never leave the passport in hotels since it would be a problem if something happens to it,” she said.

She also complained about the bad condition of toilets in public places in Iran, which are not clean and equipped with warm water.

She added, “The Persian way of greeting and social etiquettes takes such time that it may make problems in planning for events, like the convention. It would be annoying in departure and meeting.”

------------ Cultural differences

“People who come to Iran are those who travel a lot, so they know about differences in different countries. However, it would be easier for tourists if the differences explained to them,” she said.

For example, she said, wearing hijab and observing dress codes, especially for women, and behavior codes between genders should be explained.

She also talked about ta’arof - the Persian form of civility and etiquette - as a concept, which should be clarified for foreign tourists.

SB/PA
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