TEHRAN– Attracting more tourists and developing tourism is the best solution for tackling Iranophobia, the deputy tourism minister has said.

There is no better tool than tourism to deal with Iranphobia, since the presence of tourists, their viewing of attractions, and propaganda about Iran, is the best way to show the real face of the country, ILNA quoted Ali-Asghar Shalbafian as saying on Tuesday.

However, there needs to be a more serious effort in introducing and promoting Iranian attractions, he added.

There has rarely been a time in history when the country has faced such a level of Iranophobia as it is today, the official explained.

Despite the fact that western officials’ descriptions of Iran are not accurate, it has led to the cancellation of incoming tours, especially from European nations, he noted.

Since the recent unrest, these problems have intensified and many western countries have advised against traveling to Iran, he has mentioned.

In fact, what western countries are raising regarding Iran is not related to tourism at all, but rather to political issues and relations between countries, as the recommendation not to travel to Iran shows how political issues have entered the field of tourism, he said.

Based on the experiences of countries that are leaders in tourism, one of the development policies for tourism is to waive visas with neighbors, Shalbafian said and added, “Especially now that an unrealistic image of our country has been reflected in the world, we ought to facilitate the entry of tourists, taking into account several factors and considerations, such as national security and foreign policy principles.”

Back in August, tourism minister Ezzatollah Zarghami said that Iran has recorded about 2.9 million foreign tourist arrivals over the past 11 months.

The tourism minister said the rate of tourist arrivals, concerning coronavirus restrictions, is ahead of some international estimates.

“Designing an Iranophobia project and presenting a negative image of Iran in some media is one of the obstacles to attracting foreign tourists,” Zarghami said.

“We have many relative advantages and facilities that none of the countries in the region have.”

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