Ezzatollah Zarghami wrote in a tweet that he has recently held a meeting with Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji and the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme Council of Free and Special Economic Zones Saeed Mohammad on financing new schemes to develop Iran’s marine tourism.
A day earlier, Zarghami told Iran’s state TV that the Islamic Republic is planning to subsidize fuel for cruise ships to power up the highly potential sector.
He added Iran, with over 5400 kilometers (3350 miles) of coastline in the northern and southern parts of the country and its geologically unique islands, has a good opportunity to develop its marine tourism.
Zarghami also stated that the cruise vessels in the southern Iranian Kish Island can facilitate the transit of Iranian and non-Iranian tourists to the 2022 World Cup scheduled to kick off on November 20 in neighboring Qatar in the Persian Gulf.
After over two years of coronavirus-related restrictions, Iran is again eyeing its promising tourism industry to diversify its economy and wean it off oil revenues.
A recent report by the Iranian ministry of cultural heritage, tourism and handicrafts said that Iran earned 2.5 billion dollars from hosting 3 million foreign tourists during the past eleven months, a 40 percent increase compared to last year.
