Iran Using Adult Colouring Books to Attract Foreign Tourists

Tourism officials in the holy city of Mashhad have decided to export a huge number of adult colouring books with patterns of handicrafts and tourism-related designs as part of a larger plan to attract more foreign tourists.

“We are exporting the special books with the aim of promoting Iran as the best choice for people from other nations as a tourist destination,” an official in charge of the city’s Idea Centre was quoted as saying in a report by IBNA.

“We are also preparing some attractive events to encourage tourism in Iran and change the overall attitude of other nations towards the country.”

The official also referred to the growing popularity of the colouring books for the adults in the international arenas over the past years and said given the technological advancements as well as the destructive impacts of the cyberspace including daily stress on the lives of people, the idea of preparing these books was brought about to find a convincing response to these problems.

“In this project, we have decided to use the books as a platform to showcase Iran’s beauties for the foreign tourists. These books will attract more tourists,” he noted.

Elaborating on the cultural aspect of the plan, he said the city’s officials are determined to press ahead with the projects to promote the city and Khorasan province’s tourism industry.

“The foreign tourists can take these books as a cultural souvenir with themselves and present our city as a good choice for a tour,” he said.

According to the official, in line with the book project, the city’s officials will put their efforts into producing other national handicrafts and souvenirs so that people from various nations can get more familiar with our heritage including Persian carpets with their ancient designs and colours and meet the tastes of people from various cultures.