Page 52 - IRANRptDec19

have indicated that the Iranians are struggling to find methods of accessing or repatriating the money.
“Despite Iran’s forex resources in South Korea, the country has taken this nonhumanitarian measure in the wake of the US sanction,” Mehralian also reportedly said.
9.1.10​ Tourism sector news
Ali Asghar Mounesan, Iran’s minister of cultural heritage, tourism and handicrafts has reportedly spoken to Chinese officials in Beijing to ask for investments in Iran’s tourism industry.
“If Chinese investors agree, we can provide them with a parcel of land to invest in the field of construction [and] operation of tourism sites and complexes,” Mounesan told an audience that included Chinese Minister of Culture and Tourism Luo Shugang, International Business Times ​reported​ on December 3. Chang Hua, China’s ambassador to Iran, recently visited Iran’s Golestan province to discuss the tourism potential of the northeastern region that borders the Caspian Sea. Golestan governor-general Hadi Haqshenas was cited as noting that with imminent air flight traffic between Gorgan in his province and Aktau, Kazakhstan, “we are ready for the presence of Chinese tourists in the Golestan province.”
Vali Teymouri, Iran's deputy director for tourism affairs, was quoted as saying he hoped that Iran could attract up to one million Chinese tourists per year. He referenced how Tehran commenced a visa waiver programme for Chinese visitors in July.
The report said only 52,000 Chinese visited Iran in 2018 and that Mounesan was even hoping that the relaxed visa rules could eventually mean two to three million Chinese tourists visiting Iran annually.
“We believe that the tourism industry is [capable of] generating more income than the oil industry, and that sanctions do not work in the tourism sector,” Mounesan also reportedly said, adding. “So we should facilitate and improve mutual collaborations, especially in the tourism industry.”
The Iranian parliament has passed votes of confidence that clear the way for two new ministers that will serve the education ministry and the newly created tourism ministry, IRNA has reported.
Mohsen Haji-Mirzaei was named the new Minister of Education while Al-Asghar Mounesan, formerly head of the Iran Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organisations (ICHHTO), will now head the tourism ministry, which is essentially an upgraded ICHHTO.
Several dozen lawmakers voted against Mounesan. They were reportedly hardline MPs against promoting Iran as a tourist destination.
The tourism ministry, officially the ​Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Tourism​, was created on August 6 following a vote by Iran’s top legislation vetting body, the Guardian Council.
ICHHTO, a non-ministerial body, was in charge of the country’s tourism and cultural affairs. However, it was repeatedly criticised for not being capable of catering for the increase in visitors Iran has attracted since it relaxed its visa requirements for citizens of dozens of foreign countries.
Recent data from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) showed Iran's tourism sector grew by 1.9% in 2018 to contribute IRR1,158tn ($8.8 bn) or 6.5% of overall GDP and 1,334 jobs (5.4% of total employment) to the economy.
The report added that foreign visitors coming to Iran spent IRR168,954bn
52​ IRAN Country Report​ December 2019 www.intellinews.com