TEHRAN —Iran’s tourism market is still unfamiliar to the majority of potential Russian travelers, Isfahan tourism chief said on Sunday.

“Iran’s tourism market is not properly known for Russian nationals. What we need in this field is to provide advertisements, information, and proper image of our country,” IRNA quoted Alireza Izadi as saying on Sunday.

“Today, Russians [mainly] travel to [destinations such as] Dubai and Turkey for tourism, and one of our problems is that the Iranian market is not well known to them.”

The official expressed hope to reduce the gap by organizing FAM tours, B2B meetings, and forums to be attended by tourism insiders from the two countries.

Isfahan, for its part, will be hosting tens of Russian travel agents and tour operators on FAM tours in the near future, the official said.

A few days ago, working groups from Isfahan province and counterparts from Russia’s Saint Petersburg and Moscow explored ways to develop tourism ties.

Earlier in September, tourism insiders and officials from the two countries exchanged views on education, hotel management, holding joint exhibitions, and introducing tours and investments, among other issues.

Furthermore, they discussed prospects of a possible visa waiver for tourist groups, based on an agreement that former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin inked in 2017.

Like Izadi, the Head of the Iranian Tour Operators Association Ebrahim Pourfaraj believes the majority of potential Russian travelers are unaware of the vast tourist attractions that exist in every corner of Iran. “The fact is that Iran’s political and economic relations with Russia are considered as good, but this has nothing to do with attracting tourists because it is directly connected with the Russian people. It is the Russian people who must choose Iran as their destination.”

Last year, an Iranian travel expert said many Russian tourists were eager to travel to Iran, an Iranian travel expert said on Monday, recounting his Russian counterparts. “Many [potential] Russian travelers are motivated to visit novel and lesser-known destinations such as Iran that could be a safe and attractive destination,” said Mostafa Sarvari, who presided over the tourism marketing and advertising office of the Iranian Tour Operators Association.

The Islamic Republic expects to reap a bonanza from its numerous tourist spots such as bazaars, museums, mosques, bridges, bathhouses, madrasas, mausoleums, churches, towers, and mansions, of which 26 are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

AFM