TEHRAN – A group of motorcyclists from Italy met with Mohammad Hossein Soufi, the director of the Touring and Automobile Club of the Islamic Republic of Iran, on Saturday to share their travel experiences to Iran. So far, the cyclists have visited many cultural and natural sights during their itinerary that passes through tens of cities and villages, the report added. The hospitality of the locals, the familiarity of young people with foreign languages, the high level of security, advanced facilities, and the diverse climate were among elements the group has found interesting to date. They also considered themselves cultural ambassadors, who will introduce Iran and its countless attractions to their friends and family members, and emphasized that after returning to their home country, they hope to inspire many tourists to visit Iran. Some experts believe Iran is still somehow “unknown” to many potential travelers due to the Western “media war”.

Several estimates have been released so far on the extent of the tourism-related losses incurred by the pandemic.According to the data compiled by the tourism ministry, the tourism of the country was growing before the corona outbreak, its revenues reached $11.7 billion in 2019, which accounted for 2.8% of GDP, nearing the average share of tourism in the world GDP, which was 3.2 percent.

Some 8.7 million foreign nationals visited Iran during the Iranian year (1398) and Iran was ranked as the second fastest-growing country in tourism based on data compiled by the World Tourism Organization.Experts expect Iran to achieve a tourism boom after the coronavirus is contained, believing its impact would be temporary and short-lived for a country that ranked the third fastest-growing tourism destination in 2019.The Islamic Republic expects to reap a bonanza from its numerous tourist spots such as bazaars, museums, mosques, bridges, bathhouses, madrasas, mausoleums, churches, towers, and mansions, of which 26 are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Under the 2025 Tourism Vision Plan, Iran aims to increase the number of tourist arrivals from 4.8 million in 2014 to 20 million in 2025.ABU/AFM