TEHRAN – Following years of coronavirus-related restrictions, Malaysian travel insiders and exhibitors seek to promote partnership with Iranian counterparts at the 16th Tehran International Tourism Exhibition, which runs from February 7 to 10.

Tourism Malaysia, which operates under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture Malaysia, is set to provide an avenue for Malaysia tourism industry players to network and solicit new business with their Iranian counterparts.

The agency is set to boost its promotion activities in Iran by participating in the 16th Tehran International Tourism Exhibition, and to reconnect and further develop more partnerships in positioning Malaysia as a preferred destination for Iranian sightseers, Tourism Malaysia said on Tuesday.

“Tehran tourism fair is also a platform to update industry players on Malaysia’s latest tourism developments and strengthen awareness of Malaysia as an ideal holiday destination for this market. Furthermore, it will also give visitors an insight into the many exciting packages and promote some of the country’s latest attractions and destinations such as Kuala Lumpur, Genting Highlands, and Penang for shopping, family fun, and theme parks.”

Last year’s roadshow to Tehran which was led by the Director General of Tourism Malaysia, Dato’ Hj Zainuddin Abdul Wahab in May 2022, together with Malaysian travel trade players and officials validated that Malaysia maintains as one of the tops of the mind travel destinations for this region.

Tourism Malaysia’s promotion campaign as such is a continuous effort to boost inbound tourism to a greater height in the hope to achieve 15.6 million international tourist arrivals with MYR 47.6 billion in tourism receipts for 2023.

Iran remains one of Malaysia’s top international tourists generating markets in West Asia before the pandemic. Iran’s strong arrival of 46,559 in 2019 shows that Malaysia is a value-for-money destination for them.

Currently, Iranian travelers will have the chance to travel to Malaysia from other cities like Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan, Tabriz, and Shiraz, the agency said.

AFM