TEHRAN--Mashhad's specialized exhibition in the field of pilgrimage and tourism will be held in January 2026 in line with the plan to transform Mashhad, the capital city of Khorasan Razavi province, into a free zone for tourism and pilgrimage.

According to ISNA, this exhibition has been placed on the agenda of the provincial travel services headquarters following the announcement by the deputy head of Khorasan Razavi Governor-General's Office of a plan to transform Mashhad metropolis into a free zone for tourism and pilgrimage.

The capacities of pilgrimage services and creative industries of the province will be introduced in this exhibition in order to take steps to realize this vision. 

Hojjatoleslam Ali Asgari, Deputy Governor of Khorasan Razavi Province for Culture, Social Affairs and Pilgrimage, emphasized the need to take advantage of this opportunity to comprehensively introduce the province's capabilities regarding the Mashhad specialized exhibition in the field of pilgrimage and tourism.

Referring to the plans made for the development of pilgrimage tourism, he stated that Mashhad is trying to become the basis for major decisions as a free tourism and pilgrimage zone, and related programs in this field are entering the implementation phase.

Regarding the importance of this exhibition, he said that it has been decided that the travel services headquarters, the hoteliers association, travel agencies and the foreign pilgrims committee will have an active presence in this specialized event so that the province's capacities in the field of pilgrimage services can be displayed in a coherent manner.

Asgari also emphasized the importance of strengthening cultural products and creative industries, focusing on pilgrimage souvenirs, adding that various organizations, including Astan Quds Razavi and Artistic Creativity Center, have taken valuable steps in this regard.

The existing opportunities should be used to strengthen the creative industries and luxury products, he pointed out.

Referring to the global competition in this field, he added that Iran has a high capacity to provide high-quality cultural and religious products, and this opportunity should be used to introduce the Iranian pilgrimage souvenirs brand, because countries like China are seeking to play a role in this global economy.

He announced holding national and international tourism exhibitions in Tehran and Mashhad with support of Governor-General's Office and Astan Quds Razavi, and announced that a specialized pilgrimage tourism pavilion is planned with the approach of introducing the province's capabilities in these exhibitions.

In another part of his speech, he referred to the prominent role of foreign tourists, adding that more than 50 percent of foreign tourists are pilgrims to religious places or health tourists, and at the same time, activities in the fields of ecotourism and historical tourism are also being pursued seriously.

Asgari emphasized serious determination of the responsible agencies and said that the main focus is on developing pilgrimage tourism, and all the province's facilities are at the service of this area so that Mashhad can find a more worthy position as a pilgrimage hub for the Muslim world.

KD