TEHRAN (Iran News) – Minister of Culture, Tourism and Handicrafts Ali-Asghar Mounesan says the country’s national tourism industry has been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and it has suffered losses of around 22,000b tomans.
Addressing the International Tourism and Handicrafts Exhibition, Mounesan said the national tourism industry badly hit by the outbreak of the virus and the industry suffered losses of around 22,000 tomans. He expressed hope by the production of the domestic COVID-19 vaccine, tourism in the country once again would pick up.
He went on to say that by the boom in tourism, he hopes all types of tourism like ecotourism and agro tourism would boom. He noted several incidents and events had their negative impacts on tourism but they failed to ground this industry and only slowed down its pace of progress.
Mounesan noted that despite all these mishaps, the arrival of foreign tourists set a record for the country.
He added that some 23,000b tomans of credit have been earmarked during the 12th government for tourism in the country and some projects are to be inaugurated soon.
He noted that 408 hotels and hotel apartments with 417,000 beds have been built and launched during the current government while the country is challenging with the sanctions.
Meanwhile, Venezuela’s Minister of Tourism and Foreign Trade Ali Padron who is in Tehran to attend the exhibition highlighted friendly ties between Tehran and Caracas, saying that Venezuelans see Iran as their home.
Padron met with Iran’s Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts to sign a memorandum of understanding on a 2020-2024 tourism plan and will visit a number of people involved in the Iranian tourism industry.
He will take trips to Kerman and Esfahan provinces to see tourist sites.
He will also tour Golestan Palace, Milad Tower, and the National Museum in Tehran.
The tourism Minister of Venezuela is the special guest of the exhibition.
Due to the outbreak of the coronavirus disease, the event is taking place with observing health protocols.
Some 160 tourism companies are present in the exhibition.
- source : IRAN NEWS
