The Iranian parliament approved the establishment of the Ministry of Tourism in case of promoting tourism business in October 2019. The new Ministry of Tourism in the country is going to have better funding and more trustworthy development plans. Iran’s tourism industry is one of the priorities of the Iranian government to create jobs and generate more revenue from this sector.
Vali Timouri is Iran’s deputy minister of tourism and has a variety of programs on the agenda. In an exclusive interview with the “explore Iran”, he described the ministry’s new capacities.
Timuri says the creation of a ministry was a step towards making tourism a viable place in the country. What we are looking for in the government is not just changing the title. We are looking for a law that can reduce interference with other government institutes. In this case, the scope will be open to attract more capital, both domestically and internationally.
The deputy tourism director emphasizes the need for a strong private joint ventures organization to succeed in the future planning of the ministry.
Sanction made foreign investors skeptical
In response to the question, what is the demand for foreign investment in the Iranian tourism industry? He said: “For years, the French, Swiss and Spanish have always welcomed participation in hoteling investment. Whether for chain hotels or individual applicants.”
They have concluded that even if foreign tourists do not travel to Iran and break the wall around the country, economic studies have confirmed that investing in the hotel industry is economically viable for them to accommodate the 5 million Iranian domestic travellers alone.”
Accor even conducted studies on three- and four-star hotels in Iran. The fact is that sanctions postponed these programs. Foreign investors are afraid to enter the area, and the only reason for their delay is the sanctions.