According to Tehran-based English newspaper, Iran daily, Reza Baradaran Esfahani added, 'We have held sessions with Indian tour operators to organize low-cost tours to Iran.'
'India has a large number of Muslims of Iranian origin. We intend to encourage them to travel to Iran's religious and tourist cities such as Isfahan. Therefore, low-cost tour packages will be arranged for Indian tourists,' he added.
After Isfahan, they will have a make a pilgrimage to Shah Cheragh Mausoleum in Shiraz (southern province of Fars) and then to Qom. After that, they will leave Iran for Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala.
Baradaran Esfahani said India tour operators are very keen on organizing trips to Iran in view of the cultural commonalities shared by the two countries.
According to an Indian tourist, since many of Indian tombstones have been written in Persian, Indians are very interested on visiting Iran to get acquainted with the land of their forebears.
Isfahan Tourist Forum seeks to implement a scheme to draw Muslim tourists from neighboring countries in the first stage, Baradaran Esfahani said. Then, it intends to beguile European tourists, he added.
He continued that Iran's tourism potentials have not been fully expounded to the world. Foreign tourists lack sufficient information about Iran's tourism potentials, he said.
Chairman of Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization Masoud Soltanifar said earlier that Iran is among the world's top potential tourist destinations with a treasure trove of ancient sites, including 17 locations registered on UNESCO World Heritage List.
Tourism, however, is neglected in Iran which has largely relied on oil exports for decades. Iran currently has the capacity to host millions of foreign tourists a year.
Iran has a very distinct and superior position for attracting tourists. Favorite subjects for tourists are abundant in Iran. They include a beautiful nature with its unique climatic conditions, educated people, an ancient civilization with age-old customs as well as its very old aspects as evident in the splendid architecture.
According to a group of leading experts in tourism, every tourist entering Iran can recoup revenues equivalent to the earnings from the export of dozens of barrels of oil.
9060**1771
Tehran, Aug 18, IRNA - Indian tourists are willing to travel to Iran to see the land of their forebears, said the head of legal commission of Isfahan Tourism Forum.
