Caretaker of the newly-established Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Ali-Asghar Mounesan says the situation for tourism is good in Iran as the tourism industry is booming with regards to both local and foreign tourists.
“Once, historical buildings used to be destroyed and our budget wasn’t enough for all [ancient] monuments, but now, they are protected thanks to people’s contribution and [the tourism industry] has turned into an atmosphere for business,” he said.
He said demand is growing in the tourism industry, and thousands of memoranda of understanding on investment in the tourism industry have been signed, “which is a harbinger of boom” in this industry.
He said Iran hosted as many as 7.8 million incoming tourists in the one year to March 2019, generating a revenue of between 18-20 billion dollars.
“Each foreign tourist generates 1400 dollars in earnings, and this trend further strengthens economy,” he noted.
The official also said there has been a 40-percent rise in the number of tourists in the second quarter of 2019 year on year.
