Iran to Launch Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Heritage

A spokesman for Iranian Parliament's Cultural Commission says the Guardian Council has approved the plan to set up the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Heritage.

Ruins of Persepolis / Photo by Sadra Razavi

“With the efforts of the Parliament’s Cultural and Social Commission and in a constructive interaction with the government and the Guardian Council, the Cultural Heritage, Handcraft and Tourism Organisation (ICHTO) will turn into a ministry,” the committee’s spokeswoman Fatemeh Zolqad said on Tuesday.

Zolqadr told ISNA that the establishment of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts is a step towards creating a change, holding the government accountable and increasing the Parliament’s supervision.

“Preserving the cultural heritage is in fact the protection and preservation of the historical past and the cultural foundations of Iran with a huge and extensive historical background in the pre-Islamic and Islamic eras.”

“Having this valuable asset,” she said, “is actually the key infrastructure for the development of the tourism industry, which is the most fundamental factor of the oil-free economy, and we need to pay close attention to this valuable and fundamental issue.”

This change is expected to increase the utilisation of existing capacities and, as a result, increase the supervisory power of the people’s representatives over the work and activity of the Ministry, she went on to say.

It will further enhance and prosper the tourism industry, and increase employment and investment opportunities in this field, she added.

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