Arashk Masaeli, a faculty member at the Research Institute of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts, has elaborated on the fundamental conditions needed to expand Iran’s tourism sector. He outlines a seven-part framework, examines the impact of recent regional conflict, and assesses the potential of medical and regional tourism.

In an interview with the Tehran Times, the expert said Iran’s tourism assets fall into three categories: historical and cultural sites such as Takht-e Jamshid, Pasargadae and historical mosques; natural attractions including mountains and coastlines; and human-made attractions such as water parks and shopping centers.

“We intend to turn these tourism resources and attractions into a product. It means that we can generate jobs for locals, promote the local community, generate foreign exchange income, and boost economic growth. If we want to turn these resources into a product, we need some preconditions.”

He presented these seven items in general: The first group promotes the resources and attractions. It means that I have the Pasargadae attraction. If I provide the level of accessibility to such a place, tourism to Pasargadae or Persepolis will be activated. The second group is promoting the facilities and services pertaining to the tourism industry. It means that the related industries, like hotels, tour leaders, and agencies, should be available. Also, the reception venues like restaurants, coffee shops, and the Customs Administration should be available.

Customs Administration should provide the things required by the tourism industry. The third group is appropriate infrastructure, like roads and railways, which should be available between the origins and destinations so that a tourist can travel to Shiraz from Tehran. Transportation means such as cars and train wagons should also be available. These are hardware infrastructure.  The fourth group is the software infrastructure, including the human resources and specialized manpower, like a tour leader and a hotel manager.

The fifth group is promoting the investments. Investments should be made in the tourism sector. The sixth group is promoting marketing. It means that we should do something in marketing, branding, and vision making. The seventh group, which is a jack-of-all-trades, has a role in promoting the management, supervision, policymaking, and the private sector. All of the abovementioned groups are the seven rings that, if they play their role well, they have a good outcome in creating a tourist attraction.

He also touched on the impacts of the 12-day aggression of the Israeli regime on Iran's tourism sector. In addition, he highlighted the positive effects of promoting medical tourism, rural tourism, ecotourism, and holding tourism events and roadshows. Excerpts are as follows:

What plan do you recommend to reduce the negative effects of the 12-day Israeli war on Iran’s tourism?

The 12-day Israeli war against Iran is considered from several aspects. We don’t have a high number of foreign tourists. Therefore, during the Israeli war, it was less impressed.

During the 12-day war, mandatory domestic tourism happened. People migrated from cities like Tehran, which were attacked the most, to the cities of Mazandaran province. It had a negative impact on the host community. The local community faced a shortage of food, water, and fuel. 

One of the issues of the 12-day war was that it created Iranophobia. Iran was introduced as a red flag country.

Security and the feeling of security are the major foundations of the tourism industry. First of all, the tourist needs security. There may be security, but no sense of security. European tourist has security but don’t have a sense of security.

What is the position of medical tourism in the development of the tourism industry, and what are the country's most important capacities in this field?

Medical tourism includes three things: health tourism (preventive tourism), therapeutic tourism (when a person has a physical or mental problem. For example, he/she wants to fix his dental problems, get orthodontics, or implants. Lifestyle enhancements such as mud therapy and hydrotherapy are also included.

The advantage of our medical tourism is that the costs of treatment in Iran are lower and the medical staff are professional.

There are some disadvantages. Some hospitals have an International Patient Department (IPD). Due to a rise in the forex rate, less medical equipment has been imported to the country.

Which capacities are available for Iran in the tourism market of neighboring nations, Russia, and China?

Tourists come mainly from Shia countries like Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Oman, and Yemen. Azeri tourists used to travel to Iran, but they came less because of the problems that were created for their consulate.

The forex income of medical tourism is three times that of conventional tourism. Health tourists stay longer, receive more services, and bring companions, such as family members, with them.

Russian tourists are culturally incompatible with the culture of our society.  They prefer sea-based tourism and have special eating and drinking habits, which are not possible in Iran.

Chinese tourists also expect better services in line with the development their country has undergone.

There is a red flag for U.S. and European citizens recommended not to visit Iran.

A portion of tourists come from neighboring nations such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen.

What is the role of road, air, and rail transportation in promoting tourism? How do you evaluate the current situation of these infrastructures?

Unfortunately, 1,000 intercity buses have been retired, and we only have 6,000 buses left for road transportation.

Shortage of railway infrastructure, train wagons, locomotives, and lack of up-to-date aircraft in terms of quality and quantity have put pressure on passenger cars. All of this has caused obstacles in domestic and foreign tourism.

How do you evaluate the importance of events such as exhibitions, specialized seminars, and programs such as roadshows in introducing Iran’s capacities?

All of this is a subset of marketing. Its facilitation or policymaking must be done by the Government. Holding tourism roadshows will allow marketing to happen.  Marketing must be done internationally.

The Arab states of the Persian Gulf promote brands like Visit Saudi Arabia at international tourism exhibitions such as FITUR and the stadiums. You have to impress the tourists from all angles to come to a conclusion. Enter stadiums and cultural festivals around the world, such as Cannes.

What are the major factors behind the promotion of ecotourism in Iran? What challenges are there along the way?

In ecotourism, travelers can enjoy excursions to the sea, mountains, rivers, and deserts. Since ecotourism equipment and tools are expensive, it is not pursued like cultural tourism. Since safari and rafting items are imported, the cost increases. Our society is not prepared for nature tourism. The off-road vehicles (ORVs)  travel in different roads and rough terrains, disrupting the ecotourism of that area. This requires the creation of off-road tourism routes in the government sector.

What kind of infrastructure does rural tourism development require, and to what extent is this infrastructure provided in potential villages?

Fortunately, with the introduction of tourist villages at an international level, between eight and 10 villages are annually introduced as nominees to be on the World Best Tourism Villages list.

Last year, Esfahak in South Khorasan province was recognized as a UN Tourism Best Tourism Village.  This year, the villages of Shafiabad, Kandelous and Soheili were recognized as one of the Best Tourism Villages by the UN tourism body.

We have a concept called congestion or carrying capacity in tourism. If the number of tourists exceeds the capacity of the village, problems arise for both the tourists and the host community. The host community faces troubles. Careless tourists cut down the trees and set fires.

A tourist village should have tourism attractions, customs, and appropriate infrastructure. It should be unique in terms of anthropology, souvenirs, and cuisines. Some examples are the villages of Abyaneh, Masuleh, Kandelous, Palangan, and Shafiabad.

KD