Vali Teimouri in an interview with IRNA said on Saturday that "Iran and China, with ancient civilizations and long history, have always had good economic and cultural cooperation along the Silk Road".
He added that throughout the history of political and economic relations, there have never been any cultural clashes between the two sides and this has given them strong grounds for developing tourism.
Teymouri said that the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran during his visit to China emphasized the development of relations and the Chinese President during his visit to Tehran emphasized the development of relations, including in the field of tourism.
"Iran's tourism cooperation is now focused on the Chinese market, and good things have been done over last year," Teymouri said.
The Deputy head of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHTO) of the Islamic Republic of Iran added: In the strategic research carried out in cooperation with the academic community and the Ministry of Tourism, China has been designated as a tourism market for the country.
*** Iran to attract 1.5 million Chinese tourists annually
Minister of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Ali Asghar Mounesan said on Thursday that Iran is to attract 1.5 million inbound Chinese tourists annually.
Upon arrival in Beijing Airport late on Thursday, Nov 28, he said that he is in China at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart to take part in the International Conference of Ancient Civilizations.
China is considered among Iran's tourism target countries, as it has some 150 million outbound tourists each year, he said, noting that given the two countries' excellent ties, efforts should be made to promote tourism ties between Tehran and Beijing.
Noting that Iran's share of the tourism market is meager, he added, "We have invited distinguished Chinese figures to Iran to play a significant role in attracting tourists," he said.
A sum of 52,800 Chinese tourists visited Iran last year and it is anticipated that the figure would hit one million in the near future.
6125**2050
Follow us on Twitter @IrnaEnglish
Your Comment