The world’s tourism market is based on the market of neighboring countries/ canceling visas with 60 countries is on the agenda/ restoring export awards after 14 years
According to the report of Arya Heritage, Ali Asghar Shalbafian, Deputy Minister of Tourism of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, said in the first line program that was broadcasted on the One Sima channel: “After the outbreak of the Corona virus in September 1401, we had an upward trend in the arrival of foreign tourists to the country, so that until then, approx. We had 417,000 incoming tourists, especially since the discussion of canceling visas with Iraq was also done. But with the events that happened, this trend decreased significantly.
He added: We had a large number of incoming tourists from Azerbaijan, but due to various issues, this number decreased to one tenth. Considerations for issuing tourist visas from other neighboring countries, the number of incoming tourists has decreased by 500,000. But this process improved at the end of the year with the measures taken. Now, in 7 months of 1402, we have about three million and 900 thousand incoming tourists. which has grown by 44% compared to the same period last year. Cooperating with China and canceling visas with this country through its inclusion in the list of 20 tourist destinations of this country was not without influence. The cancellation of group visas with Russia, which has been in effect for two months, has also been done.
He continued: “We implemented the plan for the transportation of tourists from neighboring countries by private car, of course, canceling visas with 60 countries is also on the agenda.” It is expected that with the growing trend we have in attracting foreign tourists, we will host about 6 million foreign tourists, excluding the markets with which tourist exchanges have decreased significantly.
Shalbafian said: The tourism market of the world is based on the market of neighboring countries. Iran is no exception to this rule. Tourism is within the region, therefore many health tourists travel to Iran from neighboring countries. According to the announcement of the Ministry of Health, out of more than four million tourists who entered Iran in the whole year, one million and 200 thousand people came to Iran with the purpose of health tourism. Therefore, apart from the purpose of recreation and pilgrimage, tourists have also traveled with the purpose of health.
This official said: To encourage the attraction of incoming tourists, export awards were revived after 14 years and awards were given to activists in this field and exporters of tourism samples were honored. Also, in order to improve the correct image of Iran, it is considered that the cost of producing tourism content in foreign languages will be deducted from the tax cost. This facility is not only for tourism operators but for all economic operators.
He added: The issue of seasonality in the statistics of incoming tourists is not without influence. If the growing trend continues, we will reach the pre-Corona recovery and the number of incoming tourists will go back to before this disease. With the improvement of political relations with some countries in the region, the number of tourists from these countries will replace the countries from which we have less input.
He said: canceling one-way visas is the policy of countries to attract tourists. One of the programs that the country’s diplomatic system can follow is the discussion of implementing the cancellation of bilateral visas. The plan given by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage is for more than 60 countries, but the responsible institutions must review it and the final list will be determined after approval by the government.
Shalbafian answered the question that by the end of the 7th plan, we should have 15 million passengers a year, but now we should host 6 million tourists by the end of the year. Does the infrastructure of our country allow us to host this number? He explained: One of the main concerns that existed and still exists is about these infrastructures. One of the good approvals is the allocation of a part of the property acquisition credits of some provinces in the field of tourism infrastructure, which had a significant leap in the allocation of provincial credits to tourism.
In the last two years, 1,265 projects with an investment volume of more than 31 thousand billion Tomans were opened. One of the reasons for their opening was to complete tourism infrastructure with high physical development through these approvals. For this reason, the government repeated it in the budget law of 1402 and it caused a good amount of participation by the governors. The volume of tourism projects in progress is 2,580 projects. Part of infrastructure defects are completed through these projects.
He said: One of the programs that followed; Allocation of credit to renovation and reconstruction of existing projects. In some provinces, especially large provinces where we face the challenge of land allocation, one of the ways to compensate, especially in cities like Isfahan, Yazd, and Tehran, is to rebuild the existing equipment. To support the field activists and compensate for the lack of suitable land in some urban areas.
He further stated: In order to complete the tourism infrastructure in the field of recreation, with the proposal of the government and the approval of the parliament, all the costs of importation of recreation, special tourist vehicles and tourist boats are exempted from the payment of import customs. This was a serious incentive of the government and it is the same in the rest of the rulings. The good resolution of the parliament was the discussion of incentives with the cooperation of the program and budget organization. Attention to the notification of the leader of the revolution in the general policies of the 7th plan; An independent clause was created for sea-based economy and tourism, which aims to activate coastal and marine tourism. There are two rulings in the seventh plan, one of which facilitates the process of issuing decisions for marine and coastal projects by delegating authority to governors.
Deputy Minister of Tourism said: Another incentive that is considered is the issue of combined facilities. Some of the financial facilities that are allocated are time-consuming in terms of the credit allocation process. In mixed facilities, the possibility of creating tourism facilities along with administrative and commercial uses was approved. This is a new financing method that emerged in tourism.
Shalbafian stated: “Rahor police have their own safety concerns, a working group was formed and they are organizing campers and caravans during the last 5 months. Because their buying and selling should be systematic.
Regarding the global registration of Kandavan village at the World Tourism Organization summit, he stated that one of the values of globalization is the survival of village interactions and values, and said: One of our central policies in the field of domestic and foreign tourism is the distribution of travel to different destinations in 2022. Mazandaran hosted ECO member countries and Ardabil hosted this event in 2023. In the recent meeting, Semnan was accepted as a member of the Alliance of Silk Road Cities. The policy of distributing domestic and incoming tourism between different cities is one of the central policies that we follow.
This official stated: Iran’s choice of villages was deliberate. Eight villages were to implement the travel distribution policy with the same focus. This process continues. In terms of its inherent potential, Kandavan had the capacity to become global. One of our conditions for introducing future villages is to pay attention to tourism infrastructure. The provinces of Ilam, Ardabil of East Azerbaijan were in the list of the best provinces that allocated infrastructure credits to tourism.
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