TEHRAN- The 15th edition of the Tehran International Tourism Exhibition has come to an end with all the shortcomings and advantages. 

The capacity-limited international event ended Tuesday as organizers seemed unable to take advantage of all the available space.

This exhibition, which took place simultaneously with the 35th national handicrafts exhibition, has the potential to become an iconic event in the region.

But the somewhat erratic and crude manner in which the exhibit was held has prevented this from happening.

There seems to be some inefficiency when it comes to advertising this international exhibition. Consequently, not many non-native visitors and participants were seen.

The pavilions needed to be seriously revised. Since they were the first thing that a visitor will see, they should be made to look appealing.

In an era when paper advertising and brochures are no longer effective, virtual reality is a better alternative to presentation and advertising. The work was well done in one or two pavilions, including the pavilions of the National Museum, and Isfahan.

While visiting the exhibit do you need help finding your way around? Well, you wouldn’t find any there. Do you think alphabetical or number order is important? They didn’t exist there either.

Handicrafts, food stalls, and tourism booths were displayed without order in some halls.

The handicraft stalls looked like a local market and were not well decorated. However, some booths, such as carpet booths, had taken advantage of the beauty of their products and created beautiful and eye-catching decorations.

Meanwhile, some eco-lodges from different provinces across the country were making smart decisions. Making traditional decorations, probably resembling the eco-lodges they were promoting, they offered tea and local sweets to visitors. They hoped that this would attract visitors to their units.

A popular attraction at the event was the display of local dances by different provinces. Another pleasant sight to observe was men and women dressed in local clothing wandering around the fair.

Despite the criticism, the exhibition is a good and important event for the tourism sector in the country, but it would be better to focus on strengthening its positive points for the future and to seek expert assistance for eliminating its weaknesses.

ABU/AFM