TEHRAN - ‘Majestic Iran, a Different Experience’ was introduced as the official motto for Iran’s tourism industry on Sunday as the country aims to hammer home the message of diversity and richness in recreational, cultural, and medical tourism.

“Turquoise Simorgh” and “Majestic Iran, a Different Experience” were respectively selected as the logo and the motto of Iran’s tourism industry in a special ceremony held in Tehran to mark the World Tourism Day.

Addressing the event, Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Minister Ali-Asghar Mounesan said Simorgh is the most comprehensive logo for the country’s tourism because it depicts the religious and national identity of the people and conveys all the positive characteristics of Iranians. It is unique and belongs to Iran, ISNA reported.

Mounesan added that the shape of this mythical flying bird signifies the rise of Iranian tourism.

On the wings of this Simorgh, Muqarnas - a form of ornamented vaulting in Islamic architecture - is depicted. The tail of Simorgh consists of seven feathers, whose number is a symbol of the sanctity in Iranian culture and other religions and nations. The bird is illustrated in turquoise blue (Persian blue) with the word “Iran” in terracotta, displaying the dominant color of nature and architecture of Iran.

According to Zahed Shafiei, project manager of the tourism brand, the selection of this logo and motto took more than two years.

Studies of Iran’s tourism brand officially began two decades ago. Different logos, ranging from lotus flower to saffron flower, were selected and Iran has sometimes appeared in international forums with slogans such as ‘See Iran’. However, none of them have survived to this day.

The Cultural Heritage, Handcrafts and Tourism Organization – which later turned into a ministry, formed a committee for designing slogans, logos, and brands of Iran’s tourism in 2013.

The tourism ministry now believes that field studies have made Iran’s new tourism brand defensible, saying it had received the opinions of about 1,700 experts to design the logo, slogan, and color for Iran’s tourism industry.

Earlier this month and regarding the coronavirus pandemic, which has been crippled traveling in Iran and many other countries across the globe, Mounesan said: “Tourism [industry of Iran] was growing before the corona [outbreak], its revenues reached $11.7 billion in 2019, which accounted for 2.8% of GDP, near the average share of tourism in the world GDP.”

“Corona has caused damage to many countries around the world, and our country’s travel sector has so far suffered a loss of 12 trillion rials (some $2.85 billion at the official rate of 42,000 rials).”

In one of his latest speeches, the minister said that responsible tourism is a workable solution for holidaymakers to get assured of safe traveling during the coronavirus pandemic.

“The tourism ministry has no authority over [people’s plans for] travels and we cannot tell people to travel or not.

Many people travel on their own without using the capacity of tours, which can have its own impacts the virus spread but if trips are carried out through tours and in official accommodation centers that follow all health protocols, they would be safer with lower risks.”

AFM/MG