TEHRAN – There is a plan to bring the world’s largest tour operators to Iran and implement a program to facilitate their presence, Iranian Tour Operators Director Ebrahim Pourfaraj has said.

 Negotiations have begun with tour operators from around the world, and the implementation phase is expected to begin next spring, he explained on Monday.

Tour operators from 50 countries are expected to attend, he said.

To formulate this program, joint meetings will be held with the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts, he added.

During the past three years, the coronavirus outbreak has caused incoming tours to be in poor condition and their number to decrease, forcing many agencies to lose money, he noted.

Before the outbreak of the coronavirus, Europe, America, China, and Japan were among Iran’s tourism target markets, he mentioned.

Last November, the official said that the restoration of tourism flow to the country is very important for Iranian tour operators and travel insiders.

Furthermore, Pourfaraj said that the Islamic Republic must rebuild trust in the global tourism market, referring to the high levels of health security and vaccination that the country has achieved against the coronavirus.

He said some of his colleagues have commenced talks in various tourism fields with target markets in China, Japan, Russia, and some European countries.

As mentioned by Pourfaraj, Iran has made its best to maintain contact with global tourism markets and companies that worked with Iran in the past, especially since virtual communication and meetings have thrived.

Some experts believe Iran is still somehow “unknown” for many potential travelers due to the Western “media war.” Several estimates have been released so far on the extent of the tourism-related losses incurred by the pandemic.

According to the data compiled by the tourism ministry, the tourism of the country was growing before the corona outbreak, its revenues reached $11.7 billion in 2019, which accounted for 2.8% of GDP, nearing the average share of tourism in the world GDP, which was 3.2 percent. Some 8.7 million foreign nationals visited Iran during the Iranian year (1398) and Iran was ranked as the second fastest-growing country in tourism based on data compiled by the World Tourism Organization.

Iran is potentially a booming destination for travelers seeking cultural attractions, breathtaking sceneries, and numerous UNESCO-registered sites.

ABU/AM