Iran\u2019s deputy tourism minister on Monday said that \nanti-Iranian sentiment or Iranophobia, which has long been forged and \nspread by some Western governments and media, has not prevented foreign \ntravelers from visiting the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDuring\n the past [Iranian calendar] year (ended March 19), despite all the \n<\/p>\n\n\n
[sanctions-related]<\/p>\n\n\n\n
issues and [some foreign] attempts to tarnish Iran\u2019s\n international image, we have had a 52.5 percent increase in foreign \narrivals compared to a year earlier,\u201d Vali Teymouri said, IRNA reported. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Referring to the \u201cineffectiveness\u201d of an \nIranophobia project, which is pursued by the \u201cenemies\u201d, the official \nsaid the number of foreign arrivals in the country has also increased in\n the first seven months of the current year compared to the same period \nlast year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He pointed out that the biggest tourism \nchallenge that Iran faces is that it is still somewhat \u201cunknown\u201d for \nmany potential travelers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI, as an expert, who have been working in\n the field of tourism for the past twenty years, believe that the main \nchallenge of our travel industry is that Iran is internationally \nunknown. Moreover, over the past years, an Iranophobia project \n<\/p>\n\n\n
[orchestrated]<\/p>\n\n\n\n
by our enemies have been added too.\u201d \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some travel associates see better \nprospects for tourism sector of the country as policies for shielding \nthe currency against the U.S. sanctions are taking effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To cope with such propaganda campaign, \nTeymouri said, \u201cCurrently, tourism and diplomacy packages have been \nprepared to be sent with the help of Foreign Ministry to various \ncountries for further familiarization with Iran.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last November, the Trump administration \nreinstated sanctions on Iran, mainly the ones that had been lifted under\n the 2015 nuclear deal, in order to batter Iran\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The sanctions together with anti-Iran \npropaganda campaigns have decreased Western tourists but Iran has \nmanaged to compensate the blow even flourishing its tourism by doing its\n best to attract more from neighboring states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iran has also eased traveling for people \nfrom Iraq, China, Republic of Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Turkey, Pakistan,\n and several other countries who arrive in Iran for medical, pilgrimage \nand cultural heritage purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some two million Iraqi nationals visited \nIran during the first seven months of the past Iranian calendar year, \nconstituting Iran\u2019s largest source of inbound passengers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iran also eyes to have a bigger share of \nChinese tourism, as it, in a unilateral measure, recently approved to \nwaive the visa requirement for the Chinese passport holders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The World Travel & Tourism Council\u2019s \nlatest report indicates that Iraq was the main source of tourism for \nIran in 2018, as Iraqis constituted 24% of all inbound visitors. Other \nmajor sources were Azerbaijan (17%), Turkey (8%), Pakistan (4%) and \nBahrain (2%). The remaining 46% came from the rest of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
WTTC\u2019s review of tourism spending in Iran \nin 2018 shows 93% of visitors spent for leisure purposes while only 7% \nspent on business purposes. The council ranked Iran 20th from among 185 \ncountries in its 2017 power ranking, which evaluates countries in terms \nof absolute size growth measured in U.S. dollars in the field of travel \nand tourism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Regarding to the downfall of potential \nWestern visitors, Skift Inc., a New York City headquartered media \ncompany that provides news, research, and marketing services for the \ntravel industry, said in July article that \u201cDespite setbacks, \n<\/p>\n\n\n
[international]<\/p>\n\n\n\n
tour operators are optimistic about long-term growth in \ntourism to Iran, which in recent years has stepped up efforts to \nincrease international visitation and has the stated goal of attracting \n20 million annual visitors by 2025. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While the U.S. State Department has long \nissued strong advisories against traveling to Iran and despite tensions \nbetween the two countries, tour operators who spoke with Skift strongly \ndisagree, maintaining that Iran has proven to be a safe and remarkably \nhospitable place for travelers, including Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is a country that is often portrayed \nas unwelcoming, but the reality is quite the opposite,\u201d said Jenny Gray,\n the global product and operations manager of the Australia-based \nIntrepid Travel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIranians are warm, friendly and eager to \nshow off their country to foreigners. The feedback from our travelers is\n a testament to this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOnce they [Iranian authorities] have been\n approved for entry [issuing visas], people are welcomed warmly\u2014we\u2019ve \nnever encountered a problem or even a cold shoulder,\u201d said Robin Pollak,\n the president of Journeys International, which is offering Iran tours \nsince 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPeople in Iran are very curious about \nvisitors from a culture that is off-limits to them. They understand that\n American visitors do not reflect the way America is portrayed to them \nby their government,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iran embraces hundreds of historical sites\n such as bazaars, museums, mosques, bridges, bathhouses, madrasas, \nmausoleums, churches, towers, and mansions, of which 22 being inscribed \non the UNESCO World Heritage list.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Iran\u2019s deputy tourism minister on Monday said that anti-Iranian sentiment or Iranophobia, which has long been forged and spread by some Western governments and media, has not prevented foreign travelers from visiting the country. \u201cDuring the past [Iranian calendar] year (ended March 19), despite all the issues and [some foreign] attempts to tarnish Iran\u2019s international […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2890,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8,4],"tags":[28,977,978],"yoast_head":"\n