A joint event on promoting Iran's tourism potential in the Czech Republic was recently held at the Municipal House in Prague.
Co-organized by Czech Tourism Organization and the Iranian Embassy in the country, the conference was aimed at presenting the cultural, historical and artistic attractions of the two countries to further strengthen bilateral ties, CHTN reported.
According to Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, Ali Akbar Jokar, Iran's ambassador to Czech Republic, pointed to expanding ties between the two sides and highlighted the necessity of boosting tourism exchange.
A documentary featuring Iran's tourism spots was screened at the event for attracting the Czech citizens attending the conference.
The "Naghme-ye Isfahan" traditional music band performed a number of Iranian classic and folk musical pieces, which were warmly received by the audience.
Czech officials also intend to benefit from Iran's outbound market.
Based on data provided by CTO officials, tourism is a growing industry in the Central European country, comprising 3% of GDP. The industry fetches an average of $14 billion annually.
Although the number of foreign tourists exceeded 10 million people in 2017, it registered a 9% decrease compared to the previous year.
CTO authorities, representatives of Czech travel agencies, officials at the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the head of Iran-Czech chamber of commerce, merchants, university professors, researchers and students were among the participants.
Apart from inadequate infrastructure, the lack of marketing is Iran's major deficiency in encouraging foreigners to visit the country.
ICHHTO has taken a number of measures recently to fill the gap, including an agreement with Turkish Airlines to publicize tourist attractions in Iran's five popular cities, namely Tabriz, Yazd, Ahvaz, Hamedan and Kerman.
Such events will help change the foreign country's false image of Iran created by the western media and promote the country as a favorable travel destination.
