TEHRAN—Iran’s deputy tourism minister Ali-Asghar Shalbafian has called for closer tourism ties with China, Mehr reported on Friday.

Having cultural and historical commonalities, Iran and China have potential to deepen tourism relations. They can even lay the ground for further progress in the tourism scene of the Eurasia region, Shalbafian said.

He made the remarks at a tourism forum held in China, adding: “The people of Iran and China have many cultural commonalities with each other, and, for example, the Chinese Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) has many harmonies with the Iranian Nowruz.”

Moreover, Shalbafian referred to the ancient Silk Road as an icon for time-honored relations between the two nations. 

The official reminded attendees of efforts the Iranian government has made to deep tourism ties with China.

“In order to increase the number of travelers from China, the government of Iran has always been on the agenda of facilitating their entrance, and based on this, it has voluntarily abolished visa requirements for Chinese nationals and has opened several direct flights directly to China.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, the official referred to the Iran–China 25-year Cooperation Program as a roadmap for mutual cooperation in the tourism arena. 

“The development of Iran's tourism is one of the pillars mentioned in the cooperation program between Iran and China,” he said.

Over the past couple of years, the Islamic Republic has put in a great deal of effort to become a popular destination for Chinese nationals.

“We should pay attention to the Chinese market in a more pragmatic approach,” Shalbafian said earlier this year. “So far, steps have been taken to examine the Chinese tourism market, but today the (essential) need is to implement executive measures based on [our] fault detection and macro planning,” the official explained.

Experts believe that insignificant numbers of Chinese restaurants, Chinese-language guides, or even inappropriate lodging facilities have been among the main reasons why Chinese arrivals in Iran fall short of expectations.

Tehran’s ex-ambassador to Beijing has said Iran was seeking to become a tourist destination for millions of potential travelers from China as the two countries are working on a 25-year comprehensive cooperation plan that includes boosting relations in the field of tourism. Speaking in the TV program, Mehdi Safari reminded some 200 million Chinese tourists to visit different countries annually, adding “According to this agreement Iran will become one of the tourist destinations for Chinese travelers so that Iran can attract one to two million Chinese tourists to the country.”

In 2019, the Islamic Republic waived the visa requirement for Chinese nationals willing to visit the country. The decision was made to attract more foreign tourists to the country; however, it was a unilateral measure, because Iranian tourists visiting China still need visas.

AFM