Fifteen travel agencies have been meticulously chosen to organize tours and pilgrimages for Iraqi travelers, which will bring the neighboring nations closer and boost tourism.
Speaking at a meeting attended by representatives of tour operators, travel agencies and related organizations, deputy of tourism at Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, Morteza Rahmani Movahed, said Iraqi travelers and pilgrims make up a considerable portion of foreign arrivals and efforts must be made to make their trips enjoyable, CHTN reported.
The move will allow the organization to better monitor the industry and help remove middlemen and unauthorized operators that charge exorbitant fees.
These travel agencies have been chosen as pioneers of the program and their responsibilities have been outlined, Movahed said, adding that the organization will not tolerate noncompliance by the travel agencies with regulations.
“Should the program prove to be a success, more travel agencies will be chosen,” he noted.
Currently, for accommodating Iraqi travelers and pilgrims, mediators act independently and enter into contracts with lodging centers. With the efforts of pioneer agencies in promotion, marketing, organizing human resources and quality services, the present chaos is hoped to be replaced by a regulated cycle of travel and pilgrimage.
At present, middlemen act independent of the organization and enter into contracts with lodging facilities on behalf of travelers, which leads to a wide array of problems for both the unaware traveler and ICHHTO.
