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Soltanifar Promotes Tourism in Croatia

Soltanifar Promotes Tourism in Croatia
Soltanifar Promotes Tourism in Croatia

Participating in the 100th session of the UN World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) Executive Council in Croatia, Masoud Soltanifar, head of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism Organization met with several tourism officials and industry executives. The meeting was held in Rovinj from 27 to 29 May.

In a meeting with the director general of UNWTO, Taleb Rifai, Soltanifar expressed Iran’s readiness to expand its tourism industry and attract more international tourists, and called for greater support from the international organization.

Rifai voiced UNWTO’s eagerness to provide Iran with educational and research facilities to back Iran’s proposed tourism plans as outlined in the country’s sixth five-year economic development plan (2016-21).

They also discussed the destructive impact of heritage destruction by IS militants in the region on the industry.

 Wooing Investors

Meeting with Josip Leko, speaker of the Croatian Parliament, Soltanifar discussed tourism ties between the two countries and emphasized the economic, commercial, and cultural potential for expanding bilateral collaboration.

Pointing to a plan to increase the number of incoming tourists to Iran to 20 million a year by 2025, Soltanifar invited Croatian investors to help develop Iran’s tourism infrastructure.

Leko echoed Soltanifar’s sentiments about bilateral collaboration and said meetings between tourism experts from both nations will lead to expansion of economic relations between Croatia and Iran.

He said his country is anticipating a favorable conclusion to the nuclear talks between Iran and P5+1 (France, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, plus Germany) as lifting the sanctions would change the global economic outlook and help improve world economy.

 Pledging Cooperation

As a result of negotiations between both parties during the past year and in lieu of the potential for further expanding ties, Iran and Croatia signed an agreement to collaborate in tourism related areas.

Soltanifar and Darko Lorencin, Croatian minister of tourism, signed the accord. Two working groups will pursue the implementation of the agreement and explore grounds for collaboration.

Financialtribune.com