Head of Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization Ali Asghar Mounesan pledged to shield his organization from any potential setback in the wake of a planned conversion into a ministry.
Seeking to allay concerns that the move may come at the expense of the plans to promote the cultural heritage, he said, "I assure you that for me and the government, cultural heritage is a priority concern and we will give it even more attention under our new mandate."
"What the cultural heritage sector needs is greater leeway and we will try to deliver that in the prospective ministry," ILNA quoted him as saying.
Primary Focus
However, Mounesan, who also doubles as a vice president, said the upgrade is primarily meant to help handicrafts and tourism industries with challenges posed from areas outside ICHHTO's purview.
"We are seeking to empower the two sectors, which are beset with serious problems. But this does not mean the cultural heritage would be neglected," he said.
"It must be noted that tourism deals with interagency issues and ICHHTO cannot directly intervene in ticket pricing or in deciding the flight itineraries. This is while, the transportation, particularly the air travel, is integral to tourism development."
The conversion plan would also put the new ministry in full control of the handicrafts industry, Mounesan said.
"Hand-woven rugs, the signature product of Iran's handicraft market, are currently handled by the Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade, and the traditional jewelry affairs are not under ICHHTO's full supervision. We aim to deal with that issue."
The bill to convert ICHHTO to a ministry was recently approved by the Parliament.
Under the plan, the ICHHTO will turn into a ministry with all its current duties and authorities with no expansion in its administrative structure and workforce.
Any possible costs arising from the change will be covered by savings in government expenses.
The legislation stipulates that all the property and human resources of the organization should be handed over to the new ministry.
The duties of the new entity will be like that of the former ICHHTO until the government submits proposed modifications to the Majlis for approval within a maximum time frame of one year, a provision reads.
The law bans any increase in the workforce, facilities and expenses of the ministry while the Sixth Development Plan (2016-21) is in effect.
