TEHRAN- Iran welcomes initiatives that contribute to the development of tourism and boost cooperation in the international arena, deputy tourism chief Vali Teymouri said on Wednesday.

Referring to the international conference on youth and global peace, which is scheduled to be held in Seoul, South Korea in 2021, he noted that the tourism ministry will have an active presence in the conference which will be participated by more than 40 Asian countries to benefit from this opportunity as much as possible, CHTN reported.

The Seoul conference is organized to be held on four topics of “Youth, Economy and Tourism”, “Youth and Cinema Industry in the Ancient Continent”, “Urban Diplomacy, Peace and Development” and “Youth and the Fight against Terrorism”.    

Back in May, Teymouri declared new guidelines and instructions in a framework named “Smart travel protocol” to ramp up the safety of domestic travels being implemented in hotels, guest houses, eco-lodge unites, tourist destinations, transport facilities, recreational centers, and restaurants.

“The smart travel protocol states what considerations a hotel, agency, or tour guide should follow. It’s as if accommodation units need to focus more on renting one-bedroom than two-bedroom. Or if the hotel has been closed until now, with what considerations will it start working and under what conditions will it accept passengers. These cases are detailed in the present protocol we should revise its articles using the opinion of the relevant organizations,” he explained.

Experts expect Iran to achieve a tourism boom after coronavirus contained, believing its impact would be temporary and short-lived for a country that ranked the third fastest-growing tourism destination in 2019.

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 24 being inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Under the 2025 Tourism Vision Plan, Iran aims to increase the number of tourist arrivals from 4.8 million in 2014 to 20 million in 2025. The latest available data show eight million tourists visited the Islamic Republic during the first ten months of the past Iranian calendar year (ended March 20).

ABU/MG