A virtual scientific seminar was held on Monday in Tehran to discuss priorities of the administration of President-elect Ebrahim Raisi in tourism industry with the aim of extending regional cooperation especially in the Persian Gulf region.
Participants stressed the need for strengthening of tourism diplomacy in particular when it comes to relationships with neighboring states.
Esmail Ghaderi, a professor at Allameh Tabataba'i University, said in the webinar that Iran can attract 15 million tourists from neighboring countries, adding that good management can be more effective in development of tourism industry than tourism attractions.
Tourism diplomacy can help resolve differences
Naser Rezai, a member of the Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Tourism (RICHT), said that tourism diplomacy along with official diplomacy can be one of the main tools to resolve differences among states.
According to the academic, tourism has never been a priority of the Iranian administrations; and despite the fact that the outgoing administration tried to pay more attention to the industry, tourism is not yet in its best position.
JCPOA faded Iranophobia
Saman Khalilian, another professor, said that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) has helped declining Iranophobia; thus, the number of foreign tourists traveling to increased 2.7 percent before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
Tourism consolidates security, stability
Another academic, Ali Rahimpour, emphasized that tourism industry is not limited to a particular border and it can enhance security and stability around the globe.
Tourism can promote job creation and help countries to have a sustainable income, he said, adding that protection of natural resources is another advantage of the industry.
He further noted that change of political approach, de-escalation, joint venture with neighboring countries and confidence-building with other governments are among the best ways to pave the ground for boosting tourism.
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