Tehran, Jan 4, IRNA - Iran has a 7,000-year-old civilization, said the head of Irans Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO).Masoud Soltanifar added that the country boasts historical and cultural attractions.
Iran is among top 20 nations in terms of climatic diversity. Therefore, it could host tourists in all seasons, Sunday's edition of 'Iran Daily' quoted him as saying.
Soltanifar said over 4 million tourist visited Iran in 2013, half of whom were pilgrims visiting the holy shrine of Imam Reza (PBUH) in Mashhad, Khorasan Razavi province, and Hazrat Massoumeh (PBUH) in Qom, and other mausoleums.
The ICHHTO chief noted that Iran can take advantage of health tourism because of low surgery costs, appropriate medical services and skilled physicians.
The country accounts for 0.5 percent of the $1,250 billion worth of global tourism industry (equivalent to $6.5 billion), he said.
Based on the 2025 Vision document, he said Iran should host 20 million tourists and earn $30 billion.
Currently, there are 1,080 hotels across the country, of which only 130 are four- or five-star hotels. To reach the goals of 2025 Vision, 400 hotels should be constructed across the country, he said, noting that plans are underway to expand the second phase of Imam Khomeini International Airport to handle 20m travelers per year.
According to statistics released by archeologists, there are one million historical sites across the country, of which only 10 percent have been identified and 32,000 have been registered on the National Heritage List.
Soltanifar said 17 Iranian sites have been registered on UNESCOs World Heritage List, the latest of which was Shahr-e Soukhteh (Burnt City) in Sistan-Baluchestan province.
Only five percent of Burnt City has been explored. It takes 90-140 years to unearth the remaining sites, he said.
By IRNA
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