Iran is keen on French investment in hotel projects and human resources training in tourism, according to Iran’s vice president for tourism, Masoud Soltanifar.
In a meeting with the French trade delegation on Monday, Soltanifar pointed to the French hotel group Accor’s recent investment in two hotels in Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport as a sign that the two states are ready to move past the sanctions era and expand cooperation.
“Iran is a target destination by the French, but sanctions prevented them from visiting Iran,” he said, adding that tourism bridges cultural gaps and brings people closer.
French officials expressed their readiness to expand ties with Iran.
French Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Tourism and French Nationals Abroad Matthias Fekl said France’s position as a popular tourist destination has helped the country gained valuable insight into the industry.
“Our experiences in tourism will prove useful going forward,” he said.
Stephan Le Foll, French agriculture minister, pointed to Iran’s lack of trained personnel in the hospitality sector and said his country is ready to assist Iran in remedying the problem.
Soltanifar proposed preparing a draft agreement to strengthen bilateral tourism ties and said the accord could be signed during President Hassan Rouhani’s visit to France in November.
