Tourism Infrastructure, Development and News

[shugs]

Hehe.. thats a good read, mostly true I like what he says about the drivers.

Would be good if it included actual places to go and chill out like darband or evin darakeh

[shugs]

Iran to Hold Tourism Exhibition in Tunisia



The Iran-Tunisia Friendship Association is now organizing an exhibition to be held in Tunisia aiming at introducing Iran’s traditions and tourist attractions to the Tunisians.

Tehran, 21 January 2007 (CHN Foreign Desk) -- Secretary of Iran-Tunisia Friendship Association announced holding of a tourism exhibition in Tunisia in a near future, with the aim of introducing Iran’s culture, traditions, and tourist attractions to the Tunisians.

Roghayeh Hatamipour, manager of Flamingo Travel Agency and secretary of the Association said that the project is still in its initial phase and the details such as date and exact location of the exhibition has not been determined yet. She also said that the Association is planning to hold several tourism programs in Tunisia in late September 2007 during World Tourism Week.

“As a non-governmental organization, the Iran-Tunisia Friendship Association has obtained the permission for the exhibition in Tunisia and is planning to choose an institute among the private sector active in Iran’s tourism industry for the execution of this plan,” said Hatamipour.

According to her, the Association has established four expert committees such as the committee on culture, art and tourism, aiming at creating a better cultural understanding and expansion of tourism interactions between Iran and Tunisia.

http://www.chnpress.com/news/?section=1&id=1792

[Gilgamesh]

Weak Advertising Keeps Iran's Tourism Potentials Unknown
By Soudabeh Sadigh, S. Omid Arab, Ladan M. Sadeghioon

Iran enjoys enormous potentials for attracting tourists which, due to weak advertising and lack of information available about this country, have remained unknown for most foreigners, says Prof. O'Gorman from University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.

Tehran, 4 March 2007 (CHN) -- Presenting a simple plan which he calls "The Prentice-O'Gorman Destination Appraisal Matrix for Tourism" during the International Conference on Tourism in Islamic Countries held in Tehran, Dr. Kevin O'Gorman, professor of the department of hospitality and tourism management in University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, went over the factors considered by tourists when making a decision as to where to travel.

O'Gorman, who has made 16 travels to Iran during the past three years, believes that Iran enjoys enormous potentials for attracting tourists which, due to weak advertising and lack of information available about this country, have remained unknown for most foreigners.

Speaking with CHN regarding Iran's integrated tourism plans, O'Gorman said: "Iran has wonderful tourism products but first it is important to know what this market is. For example I know Kish Island already has integrated tourism plans which are very successful."

Referring to the traditional and cultural attractions of most the Muslim countries, O'Gorman explained that the majority of European and western tourists who come to Muslim and eastern countries are seeking to see something new like some new values which have somehow disappeared in their own countries. In this regard, O'Gorman said that he believes Islamic countries should pay attention to the part of their tourism attractions that has to do with their unique culture. According to him, Iran's archeology, cultural heritage, traditions, and natural characteristics are the main factors which attract foreigners to Iran.

According to O'Gorman, despite all tourism attractions Iran has, it is unfortunate that the majority of Europeans are not familiar with this country and do not have much idea about how traveling to Iran would be like. This is partly caused by weak advertising.

As an expert in tourism studies, O'Gorman believes that when a foreigner from a western country travels to Muslim countries, he or she is seeking to see cultural attractions and is not looking particularly for signs of modernism. "The choice is based on knowledge, credibility, familiarity, feelings and affordability," he said.

The matrix O'Gorman presented in the conference for evaluating tourism destinations was combined with the USP model, that is Unique Selling Points, which has turned into SSP (Standard Selling Points) by using the traditional strategy based on strength, weakness, opportunities, and threats.

He further mentioned that three factors are considered by tourists when choosing a destination to travel to which include tourism facilities, shopping, and whether he or she will enjoy the trip.

Therefore, he argued that there are three main approaches that each country needs to take for attracting and satisfying its tourists including: proper introduction of its tourism attractions through publishing catalogues and introducing them through the internet, providing tourists the chance to feel themselves in a real traditional atmosphere, and preserving and introducing its traditional, historical, and cultural values which is of the case in many Islamic countries.

Evaluating the tourism facilities in Iran and its tourism infrastructures, O'Gorman said: "Visiting Pasargadae and the tomb of Cyrus the Great (founder of the Achaemenid dynasty) was always one of my dreams. However, when I went to the tomb of Cyrus the Great, although I was impressed greatly by seeing the magnificence of the tomb itself, it was just the tomb and nothing else, no coffee shop to take a rest and have a cup of tea, no shop for buying souvenirs and post cards, nothing at all. This is while shopping is one of the main factors in tourism income and one of the main attractions a country can present to tourists."

Like many other foreigners who come to Iran, O'Gorman said that he truly enjoyed Iran's archeological site, cultural heritage and the hospitality of its people. "One of my interests is in cultural heritage of Iran and I am fascinated by Iranians' hospitality," added O'Gorman.

He further commented that Iran should facilitate visa issuance in order to increase the number of its tourists since one of the reasons that has kept the number of tourists to Iran low is the difficult task of obtaining Iran's visa. "As long as there are some problems for traveling to Iran including getting visa, like many other countries, despite having a rich culture and civilization, Iran does not receive large numbers of tourists. Therefore, providing visa facilities would be beneficial. Iran has wonderful products and could attract a large number of tourists once such barriers are removed."

Following his speech, Professor O'Gorman held a workshop in the conference in which some tourism attractions of Tehran as the capital city of Iran were discussed at the presence of tourism experts and journalists.

"The people of Tehran are one of the city's major attractions - a fact many of them are not aware of. In Tehran we can see a variety of people from different Iranian provinces who have migrated to this mega city and that is interesting. They are also very hospitable to tourists" said O'Gorman.

Drawing a comparison between Tehran and other capital cities he has ever visited, O'Gorman said: "Tehran has one of the cheapest ski resorts which offer high quality services when compared to other capital cities I have been into."

He further referred to tourism potentials Iran has for attracting tourists and urged Iranian policy makers to consider planning a better advertising strategy to introduce Iran's attractions to the world.

At the end, Prof. O'Gorman expressed hope that with improving its advertising and marketing, Iran can take major steps for promoting its tourism industry.

http://www.payvand.com/news/07/mar/1052.html

[Kevin O'Gorman]

The actual nuances of what I said seem to have lost something in translation!

The CHN site gives a slightly more accurate presentation.

Delighted to chat to anyone that is interested on the topic.

Best wishes,

Kevin

[shugs]

Originally Posted by Kevin O'Gorman

The actual nuances of what I said seem to have lost something in translation!

The CHN site gives a slightly more accurate presentation.

Delighted to chat to anyone that is interested on the topic.

Best wishes,

Kevin

Hello! We have an actual expert on the forum

Welcome, welcome...

What points do you believe have been mistranslated?

Is there anything in the article you want to say or get at but could not?

Yeah CHN is one of the better Iranian news agencies lol

Many thanks.

[Gilgamesh]

Originally Posted by Kevin O'Gorman

The actual nuances of what I said seem to have lost something in translation!

The CHN site gives a slightly more accurate presentation.

Delighted to chat to anyone that is interested on the topic.

Best wishes,

Kevin

We're getting proffessors to our forum now? that's an honor.

So in what way is the article wrong? please tell us.

[shugs]

Anyone remember these guys? Well they're back!

Messengers of peace return to Iran

Fri, 20 Jul 2007 13:08:36



Iranian peace activist cyclists, conveying the country's message of peace to the world, have returned to Iran after a two-month tour of Europe and US.

14 Iranian cyclists returned home after their symbolic trip to Italy, France, Germany, England and the United States was completed, CHN news agency reported.

The group have symbolically biked the countries, in order to convey Iranians' message of peace to the people of the world.

The cyclists offered a hand-made emblem of 'Miles for Peace' as a symbol of Iranian friendship to the mayors of the host cities as representatives of the respected nations.

The group also consists of members of a charity organization for helping orphans called 'Mercy for All' which began operation in 1990.

The trip was sponsored by private companies and individuals.

http://www.presstv.ir/Detail.aspx?id...onid=351020108

[shugs]

Russia to invest in Iran tourism

Tue, 17 Jul 2007 18:41:04

Russian investors have voiced readiness to participate in Iran's tourism projects through the construction of a 5-star hotel in the country.

During a meeting with a delegation of Russian businessmen, Director General of Iran's Tourism Expansion Company said Russian investors could participate in different tourism projects in Iran, the Iranian CHN news agency reported.

Mahdi Jahangiri also vowed that Iran's Tourism Expansion Company will facilitate the investment of Russians in Iran.

The Russian delegation is seeking to arrange a meeting with
Iran's Vice President and the head of the Cultural heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization.

http://www.presstv.ir/Detail.aspx?id...onid=351020108

[shugs]

Iran's Burnt City dazzels West

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 23:30:58



Iranian archeologists have dazzled scholars with articles on the Burnt City at the nineteenth conference on South Asian archeology.

Ravenna campus at the University of Bologna in Italy hosts the international conference.

Head of Burnt City archeologists, Seyyed Mansour Sajjadi, said, "An entire day of the conference was dedicated to Iran's Burnt City in which we delivered 10 related lectures."

Iranian archeologists addressed the conference giving lectures on the history, archeological activities, and findings of the famous City.

Speakers from the US, UK, Russia, and other countries participated in the seven day gathering which opened on July 6.

The Burnt City spans more than 300,000 hectares and dates back to 5,200 years ago. It is located near the city of Zabol, in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan and considered Iran's largest prehistoric site.

Four civilizations have lived in the city which was burnt down three times and not rebuilt after the last fire.

The world's oldest animated picture, dice and backgammon set, the earliest known caraway seed and artificial eyeball have been found at the site.

[shugs]

33 foreign envoys visit Masouleh
Fri, 13 Jul 2007 22:21:37

The ambassadors and envoys from 33 foreign countries have visited the historic city of Masouleh in Iran's northern province of Gilan.

In this visit, the foreign ministers and political, economic, and cultural attaches of 33 countries along with their families visited many parts of this unique Iranian town including its Cultural Heritage Museum and the Bazaar.

Shabanieh, the region's governor said,"The main aim of this tour is to boost tourism in this area." He wanted the fabulous city to be listed in UNESCO's world cultural heritage sites.

Commending beauty of Iran's northern regions, Tajikistan's ambassador in Iran said," Each part of Iran's northern parts, especially Gilan province has a message and that these areas are quite different from each other aesthetically". He also added that Masouleh should have actually been registered in UNESCO's list 100 years ago.

The German ambassador in Iran pointed out that in Germany, tourism industry is run by the private sector. He also added that the two countries should boost their cooperation in tourism.

For his part, the Indonesian ambassador in Iran called for the identification of the similar historic sites in different parts of the world.

The historic city of Masouleh with the population of 766 people is located within 25 kilometers from west of Gilan province.

[shugs]

Japanese to cycle through Iran
Sun, 08 Jul 2007 20:25:12

Shiraz travel officials have announced that a group of Japanese cyclists will travel to Iran in an attempt to cross the ancient Silk Road.

Director of Shiraz Travel Agency, Mohammad Yazdanpanah said that 32 Japanese cyclists attempting to cross the ancient Silk Road will travel to Iran on July 30.

"The group will stay in Tabriz and Bazargan for five days and then leave for Turkey,"

"We have arranged for a police motorcycle escort, emergency squad and a Japanese guide to accompany the cyclists," he added.

The cyclists are members of the international cycling federation and every year they choose a number of countries to cycle through," he concluded.

http://www.presstv.ir/Detail.aspx?id...onid=351020108

[shugs]

Domestic tourism to be boosted
Fri, 31 Aug 2007 06:10:49

A senior Iranian tourism official says Iran's domestic tourism is going to improve in the current year (Iranian year ends March 20, 2008).

Deputy of Iran's Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization noted that during Norouz holidays over 55 million journeys inside Iran have been recorded showing an outstanding growth as compared with last year.

"Despite rationing the gasoline in the country tourism industry has not been affected," added Mohammad-Sharif Malekzadeh.

He also pointed out that a total of 60 seminars on tourism will be held by the end of year.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id...onid=351020108

[Persan]

Iran attends World Travel Fair

JATA (Japan Associations of Travel Agents) World Travel Fair has been inaugurated featuring Iran Tourism Sector at Tokyo Big Sight.

Mohsen Talayee, Iranian Ambassador to Japan, who attended the inauguration of JATA exhibition in Tokyo on Friday, said that inviting foreign tourists from all over the world to visit the numerous cultural and tourist spots in Iran is among major aims and objectives of Iran's taking part in JATA Fair.

FULL STORY

The Japanese love historical nations - This has good potential.

[FreeToLove]

If Iran had freedom laws like Turkey has, it would be in top 15 countries to stop and look around.

[gole_hayahou]

"Freedom Laws"?

Thats a real oxymoron u got going on there!!!!

[FreeToLove]

I dont like this hijab law/No shorts for guys. These rules are just dumb as its self. Iran should be like UAE. If they had freedom in iran and they still use islam as there number 1 goal, i would be glad.

[Persan]

Iran VP seeks France tourism investment

In consideration of Iran's tourist attractions, international companies have been invited to invest in the country's tourism industry.

During his recent visit to France, the Vice President also in charge of Iran Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO), Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei, highlighted Iran's vast tourism potential and called on international companies, French companies in particular, to make investments in the country's tourism industry.

[ FULL STORY ]

------------------------

Let's hope the French actually do invest in Iran's tourism industry. They have the know-how.

[FreeToLove]

Man, You love postin news article!

Keep em comin!

[gole_hayahou]

who's this 'keem' character?

[FreeToLove]

Sorry, spelling error lol.