TEHRAN – Iran Federation of Tourist Guide Association (IFTGA) will provide special facilities to host participants at the 17th World Federation of Tourist Guide Association (WFTGA) Convention which is to be held in Tehran from January 28 to February 1, 2017.

A total of 306 foreign tourist guides and 117 Iranian tourist guides will participate in the event. The secretary general of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Taleb Rifai will attend the opening ceremony.

According to an agreement signed between IFTGA and the Meraj Airlines - an Iranian private airline - an Airbus A300-600will provide full-charter services for post-convention tour programs of the event, said Arash Nouraqaee the president of IFTGA.

Some of the attendees have registered for a pre-convention tour, during which they will visit the cities of Qazvin, Zanjan and Hamedan from January 25 to 27 and during a post–convention tour program they will travel to the cities of Shiraz, Yazd and Isfahan from February 1 to 4.

IFTGA will also provide SIM cards and internet services for the attendees, according to an agreement signed with telecom company HamrahVAS.

This is the first time Iran will host the event, which is a biannual gathering of tourist guides from more than 70 countries.

The association aims to establish contact with tourist guide associations throughout the world, to reinforce their professional ties and to protect the interests of professional tourist guides. The motto of the convention is “Iran; Friendly Faces, Open Arms, Ancient Cultures, Timeless Charms”.

PHOTO: A poster for the 17th World Federation of Tourist Guide Association Convention

SB/MG