Over 70% of information that the Chinese receive about Iran cultivate a negative image of the country, which is an obstacle in the way of Iran's efforts to grab a share of the nation's tourism market.
This is the result of a comprehensive research conducted by Faezeh Akhoundi, a tourism activist and Chinese-speaking tour guide who has over 10 years of work experience and close acquaintance with the target country's culture and popular attitudes.
Considering the fact that over 600 million people are daily users of the Internet in China, "the research was based on the data gained from the most popular social applications in order to monitor what the Chinese think of Iran as a potential travel destination," ISNA quoted her as saying.
According to Akhoundi, when the word "Iran" is searched in the most used applications, negative political issues come up first and most.
"Furthermore, there are a number of movies and animations critical of Iran, which are made and displayed around the world, presenting a rather unfair image of social and cultural features of the country. In China specifically, such works have been viewed millions of times, reinforcing the public's misconception of the country," the researcher said.
Given all these points, it is not unexpected that Iran would be the last destination for the Chinese to take a trip to, she explained.
"It's regrettable that the most frequently asked question by the Chinese on social media is about the presence of IS [the self-styled Islamic State terror group] in Iran or if Iranian people are Arabs or if women are allowed to go to university or to drive cars," Akhoundi said, adding that all these stem from the wrong media feeds offered to the public in China.
It is a wonder, she noted, that although there are abundant positive information about Iran's tourism spots, culture, history and the people's renowned hospitality, the side which is mostly related to the country's political orientations is highlighted in cyberspace.
"This is while encouraging videos come up first about Turkey, Malaysia and Thailand, which are top destinations for the Chinese, despite negative news about them."
Need for Content
Providing a possible solution to address the issue, Akhoundi said Iran should take a step toward modifying its fake image for the world, specifically China that has been selected as a target country.
"The existing limited information about Iran in China is produced or translated by Chinese media and authors. Iranians have been too indifferent to write and make original texts and movies to promote the country's beauties. Failure to learn about the Chinese language and culture and merely focusing on the commercial relations has brought us to the present point," she added.
Financing advertisements and creating content that motivates target groups to visit the country are among the essential moves to consider, Akhoundi concluded.
Reportedly, although Iran has managed to become a viable destination for the Chinese since 2011, it has not made it to the country's top 20 destinations yet, as it only attracts 80,000 out of 130 million Chinese people who travel worldwide annually.
