About 1.6 billion rials are needed to create one job in other industries, while a significantly lower amount is needed to do the same in the tourism industry. Mohsen Jalalpour, head of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, also cited the sector’s job creation potential as the main reason behind his support for the development of tourism industry. Jalalpour lamented the country’s aging infrastructure and said once the infrastructure is developed, “tourists will flock to Iran”. “Developing the industry is imperative for Iran where over 5 million people are currently unemployed,” he said. According to World Travel and Tourism Council, the tourism industry directly supported 413,000 jobs in Iran in 2014; about 1.8% of the country’s overall employment. The council expects this to rise by 4.4% in 2015.
