TEHRAN – On Thursday, a group of 30 campervan and caravan owners began a 50-day rally to showcase Iran’s tourist destinations and highlight the country’s potential for tourism.

Embarking on an itinerary that extends from Tehran to Alborz, Qazvin, East Azarbaijan, and West Azarbaijan provinces, the group will explore the beauty of several regions of Iran before venturing outside the country to continue the rally in Armenia, Georgia, and Turkey, CHTN reported on Friday. 

The rally, which is organized under the supervision of the Touring & Automobile Club of the Islamic Republic of Iran (TACI), aims to promote Iran as a top tourist destination in the international arena. 

Long shunned by Western travelers, the Islamic Republic has steadily stepped-up efforts to use tourism, over the past couple of years, to help promote its international image battered by endless opposition mostly from the U.S.

Experts believe even before the pandemic, Iran’s tourism was already grappling with some challenges, on top of those Western “media propaganda” aimed at scaring potential travelers away from the Islamic Republic. They say Iran is still somehow “unknown” to many potential travelers due to such a “media war.”

Before the COVID pandemic, Iran's tourism had constantly been growing, reaching more than eight million visitors in the Iranian calendar year 1398 (started March 21, 2019). That surge, however, helped prejudices to become thick and thin.

However, Iran’s trump card is that the country benefits from a wide variety of travel destinations ranging from seacoasts and lush green woods to towering mountains and harsh deserts. As a wallet-friendly destination with hospitable people, Iran has long been a desired destination for nature lovers, birdwatchers, powder chasers, culture devotees, pilgrims, museum-goers, foodies, adventurers, and medical travelers, to name a few.

ABU/AM