Iranian Ambassador in Russia Mehdi Sanaei and President of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR), Maya Lomidze, discussed ways to encourage tourism between Iran and Russia in a meeting in Moscow last week.
Lomidze talked of plans to visit Iran in the near future accompanied by managers from seven leading Russian tourism companies. The Russian delegation will sign contracts with their Iranian counterparts on mutual cooperation, IRNA reported.
Speaking on behalf of the Russian tourism board, Lomidze, described Iran as an ancient country with a rich civilization that will attract a large number of tourists from Russia, adding that Russian tourists who have visited Iran have come back with fond memories that can be used as powerful advertisement for Iranian tourism.
The Iranian ambassador emphasized that the level of tourist exchange between the two countries by no means matches the mutual ties of the two neighbors in other areas and voiced Tehran’s willingness to broaden tourism cooperation with Russia.
In recent months, the embassy in Moscow has taken practical steps toward expansion of tourism with Russia including broadcast of short advertising programs on Iran attractions in some of Russian TV channels.
