TEHRAN. A group of 15 Russian insiders recently arrived in Iran for a five-day study tour, CHTN reported on Wednesday.
The group, which arrived in the Islamic Republic on Tuesday, plans to visit tourist destinations in the provinces of Tehran, Isfahan and Fars, the report said.
They will visit the Nasir al-Molk Mosque, commonly known as the “Pink Mosque”, the Citadel of Karim Khan (locally known as Arg-e Karim Khan), the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Pasargadae, the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, Ali Qapu Palace and some other tourist attractions. .
The key goal of the tour is to present and promote the tourism potential of the country in the post-coronavirus era.
One of the main programs of the foreign tourism marketing department of the Ministry of Tourism is to organize study tours to the countries of the target tourism market in order to provide their people with the opportunity to visit and get acquainted with the tourism opportunities of Iran.
The average number of international travel to and from Iran decreased by 80 percent during Iranian calendar year 1399 (ended March 20, 2021) compared to a year earlier, caused by various coronavirus-related restrictions.
Optimistic forecasts suggest that the country will achieve a tourism boom after the coronavirus is contained, suggesting that its impact will be temporary and short-lived for the country, which ranked third among the fastest growing tourist destinations in 2019.
Back in March, the head of Iranian tour operators, Ebrahim Pourfaraj, said Iran’s low prices gave it a competitive advantage in attracting foreign tourists.
“By offering cheaper travel packages than other neighboring countries, Iran can remain competitive in the global tourism market and become a distinct destination for foreign tourists.”
Many people are now looking for the best travel deals and the lowest prices as the global economy is in turmoil due to the coronavirus outbreak and many people have lost their jobs, the expert added.
He noted that now Iran is in a privileged position to capture part of the region’s tourism market with reasonable offers.
“Since there were no inbound tours during the pandemic, and tourist visas have been issued for several months, we have just started negotiations with foreign tour operators.”
Last November, the official said that the restoration of the flow of tourists to the country is very important for Iranian tour operators and insiders.
In addition, Pourfaraj said the Islamic Republic must restore confidence in the global tourism market, referring to the high levels of health and vaccination security that the country has achieved against the coronavirus.
He said that some of his colleagues have started negotiations in various areas of tourism with the target markets of China, Japan, Russia and some European countries.
As Pourfaraj mentioned, Iran has done its best to keep in contact with global tourism markets and companies that have worked with Iran in the past, especially after virtual communication and meetings…
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