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Regular Tehran Tours on Track

Regular Tehran Tours on Track
Regular Tehran Tours on Track

Plans are underway by Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization to launch a regular tour of Tehran’s attractions on double-decker buses.

The buses will travel regularly take tourists on a sightseeing journey in the capital city.

Twelve stations have been designated for the route and are currently undergoing feasibility studies. The stations will soon be set up in cooperation with Tehran Municipality.

The ICHHTO had earlier announced plans to buy six buses from an unnamed Swedish automaker by the end of the current Iranian year (March 20, 2017).

A purchase has been made by the private sector, according to Ali Rafiei, tourism deputy at Tehran Province’s office of ICHHTO, but it is not clear how many and from which company.

The officials were not reachable for details.

Attempts earlier this year by tourism officials to scrap tariffs on bus imports failed, mainly due to the staunch opposition of officials at the Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade, who argued that the move would undermine domestic automakers, which they claimed are capable of meeting the transport needs of the tourism sector.

Hence, negotiations were held with Iranian automakers to manufacture six similar double-decker buses to be added to the fleet.

The “hop-on hop-off” tours will be implemented with the aid of the private sector and hotels, the municipality, Traffic Police and Department of Transportation. Other relevant organizations are expected to cooperate.

Tourism officials in the Iranian capital are eying an annual hike of 15% in foreign tourist attraction.

Last year, some 1.2 million foreign tourists visited the metropolis, which marked a 12% increase compared with the previous year. The number is expected to rise by 12-15% this calendar year.

In addition to its museums, art galleries, cafes and shopping centers, Tehran has beautiful historical palaces.

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