Georgia has become one of the leading destinations for Iranian travelers since it launched the visa waiver program in February 2016 and Iranian officials, who had adopted such a measure earlier, are now looking to attract Georgian tourists to the country.
Khorasan Razavi Province is taking the initiative of promoting Iranian attractions in the Eurasian country.
Provincial officials of Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization met with Iran's ambassador to Georgia earlier this week to make arrangements for an event to introduce Khorasan Razavi to Georgians, Mehr News Agency reported.
Abolfazl Mokarramifar, director of Khorasan Razavi's ICHHTO office, declared that his province is fully prepared to welcome tourists and pilgrims from Georgia and intends to introduce its capacities in a weeklong cultural event in that country.
According to Mokarramifar, the display of remarkable historical objects and documents from various pre- and post-Islam eras in the museums of Georgia is among the programs envisioned for the event.
"The display and sale of Khorasan Razavi's handicrafts will also be among the plans," he said. Besides, there are plans to have traditional musicians attend the event.
"Although we are facing financial constraints, the costs of these artists' trip will be secured in cooperation with the private sector," he said.
Farid Javaherzadeh, advisor to Mokarramifar, said the exchange of tourists between Iran and Georgia is currently one-sided and the event is aimed at gradually reducing the massive imbalance.
Javad Qavam Shahidi, Iran's plenipotentiary in Georgia, expressed hope that the event will be warmly welcomed.
"Georgia has a population of five million, with 500,000 Muslims who will certainly take interest in visiting Khorasan Razavi's religious spots," he said.
Shahidi noted that Georgians' warm reception of Iranian films that were earlier displayed in the cinemas of Tbilisi, the Georgian capital, for a week indicates that Iran has high potential for appealing to this country's population.
"Not even a single seat remained empty during the screening," he said. Georgia's geographical location at the intersection of Europe and Asia can also draw a larger audience during promotional programs.
"The large number of European tourists in this country provides an opportunity to counter the anti-Iranian propaganda waged by the western media," he said.
Mohammad Qobadi-Rad, political advisor at the Iranian Embassy in Georgia, also suggested pairing Iranian and Georgian towns as sister cities. "The weeklong event can pave the way for such agreements," he said. Khorasan Razavi is home to the shrine of Imam Reza (PBUH), the eighth Shia Imam, and annually attracts thousands of foreign pilgrims, especially from Arab countries.
