Tourism Ministry Working on Travelling Cost Reduction
The Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, in Tehran, is looking for solutions to the overwhelming problem of excessive travelling costs for domestic travellers.
On Saturday, Tourism Minister Ezzatollah Zarghami was quoted by IRNA, The Islamic Republic News Agency, as saying, “We are looking for cheap tourism as travelling is everyone’s right”.
“Over the past year, we have recognized 20 obstacles in the path of tourism development in the country… By strengthening domestic tourism, we would be able to boost employment and improve the national economy,” explained in a televised speech by Tourism Minister Zarghami.
He also added, “Domestic travels constitute up to 80 per cent of the tourism industry in many developed countries… Domestic tourism causes the distribution of wealth when domestic tourism is strengthened, production, employment and wealth are strengthened.”
According to statements made by Zarghami, when it comes to domestic travel, Iran has regained its status before the pandemic hit. “According to the forecasts of the World Tourism Organization, global tourism will return to the normal state by the end of 2024. However, we returned to normal earlier than the forecasts of international organizations,” the minister said.
Earlier this month, Zarghami said, “Domestic travel has achieved some 40 per cent increase compared to the pre-coronavirus period”.
From March 21, 2021, to March 20, 2022 (Iranian calendar year), over 56 million passengers used buses to travel on land, according to available data.
The Road Maintenance and Transportation Organization compiled data that reveals that over the Iranian year 1400 around 103,364,000 passengers used on-land public transportation, half of which used buses.
In 2021, travelling and tourism generated $2.5 billion over 12 months through international tourism revenue which accounted for 4.1 per cent of Iran’s GDP, with around three million foreign tourists.
In September 2021, Iran started taking initiatives to make a comeback after 20-month of hiatus by issuing tourist visas and easing COVID-19 protocols for fully-vaccinated passengers.
“Our priority is to strengthen relations with neighbouring countries and now we are pursuing the project of cheap overland travel with neighbouring countries,” Zarghami said.
Iraq has been one of the most important markets for travelling for Iran over the past couple of years. Ali-Asghar Shalbafian, the deputy tourism chief, announced the renewal of arrangements to create a better travel experience for visitors from Iraq.
Iran’s tourism sector had constantly been growing in the pre-pandemic years as a wallet-friendly destination with so much more to offer than meets the eye.
Experts believe that based on how the situation with the COVID-19 has been progressing within the borders of Iran, they are ready to make a quick comeback with an even greater reliance on its plethora of tourist spots including 26 UNESCO World Heritage sites.