A national program is to be implemented to help enhance the tourism industry, IRNA quoted tourism deputy of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO) Morteza Rahmani-Movahed as saying.
Stregthening the tourism industry is one of ICHHTO’s main concerns. The program will be rolled out across the provinces by February 17, Rahmani-Movahed said in a meeting with a group of tourism advocates in Gilan Province.
The program is aimed at improving the quality of services offered to tourists, particularly over the holiday season, starting on March 20, and ending on April 2.
He called for standardizing travel services and encouraging longer stays, and urged the use of private sector facilities. Putting domestic tourism in order is one of ICHHTO’s major strategies, he said, and noted that Gilan has high potential in which to implement the strategy.
“Tourism goes beyond individual branches and organizations. It demands all members of the large tourism family to find solutions in the right direction, he added.
In the next Iranian calendar year starting 21 March, the budget allocated for tourism is in the region of $145 million. The sum is just in enough to maintain ICHHTO alone, and so tourism will still require the support of the government and other public and private organizations, the head of the tourism committee in the Majlis,Jabbar Kuchakinejad said.
“A robust infrastructure must be created if Iran is to increase the number of incoming tourists,” Kuchakinehad, who is also the representative of Rasht, capital city of Gilan Province, said. Gilan receives tourists year round, and deserves special attention. The industry is expecting a more a liberal set of rules and regulations from officials. Supervision and oversight should facilitate trade, encourage investment, and strengthen an effective management structure, the MP said.
