UN Body Says to Introduce Iran as Safe Tourism Destination

TEHRAN (defapress) – Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Zurab Pololikashvili praised Iran’s security and said the United Nations agency is seeking to introduce the country to the world as a safe tourism destination.

News ID: 73662

Date: 12 November 2018 - 16:34

Speaking to reporters at a press conference on the sidelines of the 40th Plenary Session of the Affiliate Members of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in the western city of Hamedan on Monday, Pololikashvili predicted a good future for Iran’s tourism industry.

He further pointed to the US sanctions against the Islamic Republic and said such embargoes help countries to become stronger.

The official further emphasized that the UNWTO is willing to introduce Iran and Hamedan to the world as a safe tourism destination.

Addressing the plenary session earlier in the day, Head of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHTO) Ali Asghar Mounesan highlighted the ineffectiveness of US sanctions against the Islamic Republic and said the number of foreign tourists has risen despite the embargoes.

The American sanctions have not dampened foreign tourists’ enthusiasm for visiting Iran, the official said.

The remarks came as tensions between Iran and the US have escalated since US President Donald Trump walked away from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers in May and re-imposed sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

Following the US exit from the nuclear deal, Iran and the remaining parties launched talks to save the accord.

Trump on August 6 signed an executive order re-imposing many sanctions on Iran, three months after pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal.

He said the US policy is to levy “maximum economic pressure” on the country.

Second batch of US sanctions against the Islamic Republic took effect on November 4.

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