Iran and Oman highlighted their respective country's potentials for attracting tourists and proposed areas of possible cooperation.
Oman's Minister of Tourism Ahmed bin Nasser Al Mahrizi discussed tourism ties with Ali Asghar Mounesan, the head of Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, at Tehran's Sa'dabad Palace on Saturday, CHTN reported.
Mounesan pointed to Iran's capacities in the health sector that can attract Omanis to the country.
"Iran has made considerable progress in the field of medicine and there are advanced hospitals in Tehran and Fars provinces that also boast adequate infrastructure," he said.
According to Mahrizi, Omanis have already been travelling to Iran for medical purposes, especially eye and cosmetic surgeries.
Iran and Oman have huge potentials for the development of marine tourism and their officials have agreed to pay more attention to the sector.
A cruise line between Muscat, the capital of Oman, and Bandar Abbas in Iran's southern Hormozgan Province was launched in the past but did not continue operations as it was not profitable for the investors.
Mounesan called for special plans for marine travel and proposed mixed-transport tours between Bandar Abbas and Muscat.
"Tourists could travel one way by ship and return either by plane or on a different sea route circling the Persian Gulf," he suggested.
Holding handicrafts expos and permanent markets in Oman was another idea put forward by Iran's top tourism official, which was welcomed by his Omani counterpart.
"Oman would eagerly accept the proposition because we believe that the growth of tourism is not possible without due attention to handicrafts," Mahrizi said.
According to Mounesan, Iran has exported $300 million worth of handicrafts this year and aims to increase it to $1 billion.
"We are ready to share our successful experience with Oman," he said.
Iran also has valuable knowledge of archeology and restoration of ancient structures that could be beneficial for the Arab country.
Oman showed interest in projects to restore and repurpose historical buildings to serve as hotels using Iran's expertise.
--Publicizing the Attractions
The ICHHTO chief described some of Iran's other attractions such as its pristine nature with various climates, historical monuments and rich museums that can appeal to Omani citizens.
Mahrizi said although Iran is popular with Omani travelers in terms of medical tours and pilgrimage, "there are other capacities such as skiing and the beautiful island of Qeshm that remain unknown to this nation".
He suggested the launch of joint travel companies to swap more tourists.
"Oman has peaceful sandy beaches and plains, and is developing its infrastructure to host more travelers," he said.
The Omani minister added that thanks to favorable political relations between the two countries, prospects are bright for boosting tourism cooperation.
"Iran is also promoting Oman as a new destination and an alternative to Dubai in the UAE," Mounesan said.
Oman's high visa costs, however, have been a concern while Iran issues airport visas for Omanis at a more affordable price.
Mahrizi rejected the claim, insisting that the visa is not expensive.
"Omani visa is now offered at its previous price. There was a mistake in its price for a while as certain tourism companies demanded extra collaterals. But this has been resolved with our intervention," he said.
This is while a 10-day normal visa to Oman is now sold at $110, but citizens of Oman can obtain tourist visas to Iran at about $60.
The Omani minister and his accompanying delegation visited the attractions of Tehran and Qazvin on Sunday before embarking on a trip to Shiraz, Fars Province, to inspect medical facilities.
