TEHRAN -- Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism Organization (CHTHO) and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in Madrid last week.
The MOU was signed by CHTHO Director Masoud Soltanifar and UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai at the UNWTO Headquarters in Madrid on Tuesday.
Development of electronic tourism, marketing and finding new strategies to attract more tourists, establishment of UNWTO office in Tehran, and expansion of marine tourism were the major topics mentioned in the agreement, Soltanifar told the Persian service of IRNA.
Expansion of collaboration between Iran and UNWTO and arrangements of sessions to be attended by experts were also among the other topics discussed at the meeting, he said.
Soltanifar said that Iran has great potential to attract foreign tourists, adding that UNWTO can support and give technical help to Iran for further cooperation.
Soltanifar also pointed out that the entry of European tourists to Iran has risen 240 percent for the past months compared to the same period last year, calling it a great achievement for the country.
“All the documents and reports indicate the fact that there is a high tendency among the foreign tourists to come visit Iran”, he mentioned.
Soltanifar next traveled to Santiago de Compostela from Madrid to attend the 98th Session of the Executive Council (EC) of UNWTO, which ran from June 4 to 6.
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations’ agency, which plays an important role in sustainable growth of the tourism industry and helps in the field of information exchange.
RM/YAW
END