TEHRAN - Iran’s Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Seyyed Reza Salehi-Amiri has invited renowned Brazilian footballers to visit the country and promote its tourist attractions.

During a meeting with Carlos Henrique Menezes, Brazil’s Deputy Minister of Tourism, Salehi-Amiri emphasized the importance of influential figures in promoting tourism. “One of the most effective ways to develop tourism is through the visits of well-known figures from various fields. Therefore, we invite Brazilian footballers to visit Iran and showcase its beauty and attractions to the world,” he stated.

The officials met on Tuesday during their visits to the 18th Tehran International Tourism Exhibition which was inaugurated on the same day.

Highlighting the long-standing relations between Iran and Brazil, Salehi-Amiri added, “Although the geographical distance between our countries is vast, we have had more than 120 years of diplomatic and cooperative ties with Brazil. Previously, we also held discussions with Brazil’s Minister of Tourism and the Secretary-General of the UN Tourism regarding strengthening tourism cooperation between our nations.”

He pointed out that all Iranian provinces, particularly those with rich historical and cultural heritage such as Isfahan, Fars, Kermanshah, Sistan-Baluchestan, and Hamedan, have significant potential to attract Brazilian tourists.

Additionally, the minister proposed signing a memorandum of understanding in the field of tourism, especially medical tourism, to strengthen bilateral relations between Iran and Brazil.

Menezes, for his part, expressed his pleasure in meeting senior Iranian tourism officials and emphasized the importance of strengthening ties with Iran. Enhancing relations with Iran is of great significance to us, and I am delighted to be here, he said.

He also acknowledged the geographical distance between the two nations but stressed their responsibility to bring the two peoples closer together. “One of the key strategies for boosting tourism cooperation is increasing awareness about the tourist attractions of both countries,” he noted.

Menezes also highlighted Brazil’s tourism potential, particularly the Amazon rainforest, and acknowledged Iran’s vast cultural and natural heritage, underlying Brazil’s readiness to expand tourism relations with Iran.

Moreover, he mentioned the strong cultural and football-related affinity of the people of Abadan towards Brazil and regarded this connection as a valuable step in strengthening tourism ties between the two nations.

The Brazilian official also underlined to counteract negative media narratives that might affect tourism relations and work to correct any misleading information that could hinder cooperation.

AM