Tehran, YJC. Director of Iran’s Tourism Organization says for the first time since the revolution, Iran’s incoming tourists’ number has gone beyond outgoing.
Speaking to IRNA, Masoud Soltani Far stated "The coming of
the Insight and Hope Administration has increased interest among tourists in
visiting Iran.”
"The government’s positive approach to foreign policy where
they used respectful language in communicating with the world at the same time
as they sought national interests has made the world approach Iran in return
with a good outlook, increasing their willingness to engage in cooperation with
the country.”
He added "In the tourism sphere several layers of measures
have been taken and good situations have come to set in with good outcomes
which are to increase in the future.”
Soltani Far maintained "In the past few months we witnessed
excitement among foreign tourists, Europeans in particular, to visit Iran. For the
first time since the revolution, in the summer of 1393 [2014], the tourist
balance turned in favor of the incomings.”
According to migration police, last summer 1.497 million
foreign tourists visited Iran and 1.417 million Iranian tourists visited other
countries, he explained.
The number shows 200 percent growth in the number of
tourists compared to the same period the previous year.
The trip taken by two European tourist trains to Iran is
indicative of the safety created for foreign tourists, he said, adding "Although
in terms of security, Iran ranks as the world’s 17th safest country,
we are situated in a region with low security in neighbor countries. Four groups
of tourists from the US, Germany, Canada, and Australia visited Iran on board 2
trains, thanks to the high level of security that exists in Iran. This happens
despite the fact that rail transportation is a rather expensive means of transportation.”