MoU between tourism authorities of India, Iran to boost cooperation in pipeline: Shalbafian

New Delhi, Sep 13 (PTI) A memorandum of understanding between the tourism authorities of India and Iran to boost cooperation in the sector is in the pipeline, Deputy of Tourism in the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of Iran, Aliasghar Shalbafian, said on Friday as he underlined the similarities between the two civilisations.

In an interview to PTI on the sidelines of the Iran Tourism Roadshow here, Shalbafian also said he, along with his Iranian delegation, had a “very fruitful” meeting with Indian tourism ministry officials in New Delhi.

“Iran and India have great similarities during their thousands of years of history. We are going to revitalise these connections through tourism and, somehow, facilitate mutual tourism cooperation,” Shalbafian said.

In this regard, Iran last year “unilaterally waived visa” for Indian tourists coming to Iran. In the first four months of the year, there was a 39-per cent increase in the number of Indian tourists coming to Iran, exceeding the more than 58,000 Indian tourists who visited Iran last year, the Deputy of Tourism in the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts said.

“Of course, India has a lot to offer to Iranian tourists. Last year, more than 13 million (1.3 crore) Iranian people went out for diverse tourism purposes. India can enjoy from these good markets. In this roadshow, we plan to introduce Iran’s diverse tourism potential and also, with the help of the Ministry of Tourism of India, connect Iranian tourism businesses,” he told PTI.

These roadshows have been done in Mumbai, Hyderabad and now, in New Delhi and there is a plan to extend it to other cities, Shalbafian said.

Meanwhile, Iran welcomes roadshows in different cities of that country, as the Iranian city of Yazd hosts a key tourism ministers’ meet late November, he added.

“Iran waived visa for more than 40 countries and more than half of the world’s population can travel to Iran without needing any visa. Many can receive visa easily upon arrival at the airport,” he said.

Asked about the meeting with Indian tourism ministry officials, Shalbafian said both sides “agreed” to promote the bilateral tourism relationship, as he underlined that the number of tourist arrivals is “not comparable to the potential”.

“The two sides agreed to facilitate further the requirement of travelling of Iranians to India and also of Indians to Iran. In the near future, we could sign an MoU regarding tourism between the two countries, and we would be vigorously committed to the requirement of the MoU that we agree on,” he said.

The MoU would entail promotion of tourism of India and Iran, sharing the experiences of the two countries, product development with a specific focus on the intangible cultural heritage of India and Iran, and similarities between the two countries, the Deputy of Tourism in the Iranian ministry said.

The “draft of the MoU has already been prepared” and the signing is expected within six months, he said.

During the discussions, both sides also agreed to pursue setting up direct flights between different cities of the two countries, beyond just the capitals.

Currently, two direct weekly flights operate from Tehran to Delhi and one flight operates from Tehran to Mumbai.

All flights between the two countries are operated by Iranian carriers — Mahan Air and Iran Air — Shalbafian said.

“There is a lot of demand from other Iranian cities and also Indian cities and also, increasing the number of direct flights would play as a requirement to boost tourism,” the Deputy of Tourism in the Iranian ministry said and added that there are demands for direct flights to Shiraz, Isfahan, and more flights to Tehran.

Shalbafian said tourism can connect the two countries and help boost people-to-people relations.

Asked if the conflicts in West Asia have cast a shadow on Iran’s tourism, he said, “Of course, political issues affect tourism. Last year, more than six million (60 lakh) tourists visited Iran. Of them, about 58,000 were from India. There is no concern about safety and security that some media intentionally broadcast and try to reflect a distorted and fabricated image of safety issues in Iran,” he said.

“If any tourist in Iran, for example from India, had a tiny issue, it will be widely reflected in the media. Iran is safe and we welcome tourists with the hospitality of Iranians,” Shalbafian said.

The Deputy of Tourism in the Iranian ministry sent out a message in Persian to Indians, which means — “We eagerly await for India’s tourists to be served in Iran.”