TEHRAN—Iran participated at Yerevan international tourism exhibition which was recently held at Meridian Expo & Event Centre in Yerevan, Armenia.

During the event, Iran introduced its numerous capacities in cultural, religious, nature and health tourism, Mehr news agency reported on Monday.

Mohammad Asadi Movahed, Cultural Attaché of Iran in Armenia visited Iran’s pavilion and was closely informed about how the country's tourist attractions were introduced to the visitors.

This pavilion was set up by the Tabriz Islamic Art University, and part of it was allocated to displaying the books, brochures, and tourist information content in cooperation with the Embassy's Cultural Attache. 

Among the notable points of this pavilion was presentation of a collection of handicrafts from different provinces of Iran as well as the introduction of tourist attractions in a digital format; where visitors could scan QR codes to receive information about tourist destinations and the beauties of Iran.

This initiative was welcomed by Armenian visitors and international participants, many of whom emphasized the attractions of traveling to Iran and their desire to visit these destinations.

Chairwoman of the Tourism Committee of Armenia Lusine Gevorgyan also visited the Iranian pavilion and appreciated the quality of the presentation and the content introduced. 

She stated that the cultural, historical and political relations between the two countries have important capacities for developing the tourism industry.

Referring to the ongoing cooperation between the two sides, she expressed hope that the problems related to Armenian citizens' land travel to Iran, especially the restrictions on arrivals by personal vehicles, would be resolved soon, in order to pave the way for an increase in recreational and family trips to Iran.

Pointing to the widespread road trip of Iranians to Armenia, Asadi Movahed emphasized the need to strengthen the infrastructure and welfare services on the routes leading to Yerevan, and said that resolving these challenges could play a direct and effective role in increasing tourism interactions between the two countries.

Asadi Movahed said: “Iran's presence in such events, especially tourism exhibitions, is important because Armenia, as our neighbor and a country with which we have long-standing relations, has not yet visited Iran as much as it should, and their travels are not at an acceptable level.”

The presence of tourism activists, which leads to the introduction of Iran, will make Armenians more familiar with Iran, so activists should participate in these exhibitions and have broader relations with Armenian tourism companies, he pointed out.

He added that this year's Yerevan Tourism Exhibition has shown more than ever that tourist exchange between Iran and Armenia is not only an economic opportunity but also an important ground for deepening mutual understanding and expanding sustainable cultural and social cooperation; cooperation that, by strengthening infrastructure and targeted planning, can significantly increase the share of the two countries in the regional tourism market. 

KD