Tourism Can Help Promote Sustainable Employment

A solution for achieving sustainable employment is to tap into the tourism industry, said the head of Iran's Tourism Financial Group.

Speaking to reporters, Mehdi Jahangiri added that the tourism industry has the capacity for low-cost and sustainable job creation, besides contributing to the country's large-scale cultural goals.

"Like developed countries, Iran too can use the potentials of the sector to create jobs," he was quoted as saying by the Persian daily Entekhab.  

The entrepreneur stressed the importance of focusing on tourism infrastructure, reducing the costs of travel and increasing the public availability of tourism services.

"Infusing the society with joy and happiness is tourism's top goal. To achieve this goal, it is essential to involve the private sector," he said. He emphasized that both Iranian and foreign investors should be assured of economic stability to involve them in the development of the industry.

Jahangiri acknowledged the present administration's "special attention" to the sector, citing the industry's 10% growth since the current government came to power in 2013.

"With careful planning and reliance on innovations in information technology, the objective of creating 140,000 sustainable jobs will be attained in two years," he said.

Tourism is a major engine for job creation and a driving force for economic growth and development, as highlighted by recent figures.

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council data, in 2015, tourism directly created over 107 million jobs (3.6% of total employment) and supported (directly and indirectly) a total of 284 million jobs, equivalent to one in 11 jobs in the world. By 2026, these figures are expected to increase to 136 and 370 million jobs respectively, representing one in nine of all jobs worldwide.