The new season of tourism organizations / Golestan, a pioneer in the coordination of professional associations

The head of the Professional Association of Catering Units and Tourism Complexes of Golestan considered the notification of the executive instructions of the professional organizations of the tourism industry as an opportunity to transition from centralized management to participatory governance and, referring to the experience of coordinating organizations in Golestan, emphasized the necessity of the real participation of the private sector in decision-making and maintaining the professional independence of the associations.

Hamid Nikzad said in an interview with Aria Heritage reporter: "Iran's tourism industry, rather than suffering from a lack of natural, historical and cultural capacities, needs a review of governance patterns, decision-making methods and relations between the government and the private sector." An industry that is based on non-governmental investment, creativity of entrepreneurs, quality of services and trust of economic actors cannot be managed forever with centralized and purely administrative patterns.

The head of the professional association of catering units, traditional canteens, tourist complexes, recreational entertainment and accommodation centers located in Golestan province's welfare service complex, referring to the notification of the "executive instruction of the regulations on the formation, management and activity of professional organizations of the tourism industry and non-governmental affairs that can be entrusted to them" by Seyed Reza Salehi Amiri, Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, added: this notification should not be simply an administrative action or considered a set of organizational rules. The new directive, which was developed in the framework of the law of the seventh development plan and the regulations approved by the Council of Ministers, has a capacity beyond the organization of associations and can initiate a gradual transition from centralized government management to participatory governance in tourism.

From entrepreneurship to participation in decision-making

He stated: One of the strengths of this approach is the recognition of organizations as institutions with the capacity to participate in policy making, decision-making, improving the quality of services, training, professional supervision and accepting part of non-governmental affairs; A role that goes beyond the transfer of trade union demands.

Nikzad continued: In the traditional model, the economic activist is mainly the recipient of directives and decisions that he had a limited role in their formulation, but in the participatory model, he can participate in identifying issues, formulating solutions, and implementing part of the policies through professional institutions and his elected representatives.

He said: This development is in line with Seyyed Reza Salehi Amiri's direction in strengthening the position of the private sector and overcoming corrosive administrative structures. However, its real value is revealed when professional participation goes beyond consultative meetings and occasional invitations and becomes a stable and effective place in the decision-making process.

Provincial centers of the link of tourism activists and decision-making system

This tourism activist of Golestan province considered the definition of the structure of "Provincial Professional Associations Center" or "Provincial Tourism Chamber" to be one of the most important innovations of the new guidelines and added: Tourism is an interconnected set of accommodation services, hospitality, transportation, tourist guidance, travel service offices, ecotourism, agricultural tourism and other specialized activities, but the demands of these sectors have been raised many times and this has reduced their bargaining power and influence. is

He clarified: The new structure can turn these scattered demands into joint, expert and followable demands. The provincial center can also be the point of connection between the field experience of economic activists and the decision-making system of the province.

Nikzad added: "Iran's National Tourism Industry Assembly" or "Iran Tourism Chamber", if implemented, can help to form a coherent structure to reflect tourism issues at the national level.

Golestan, the experience of coordination of organizations before the notification of instructions

He said about the experience of Golestan: During the administration of Fereydoun, the activity of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of the province, strengthening professional organizations and creating a platform for organized interaction between tourism activists and the executive branch, has become one of the valuable management measures.

The head of the Professional Association of Hospitality Units and Tourism Complexes continued: The formation and strengthening of eight professional organizations in various fields of tourism and the creation of their coordination council showed part of the philosophy of the new structure of provincial centers before the announcement of the recent directive. The importance of this experience is not only in the number of organizations, but in changing the way the government and the private sector communicate.

He stated: The gathering of heads of associations in a coordinated structure increases the possibility of examining common issues, creating understanding between different disciplines, preventing parallel work, and providing expert suggestions to provincial managers. The activist Fereydoun, with management experience at different levels of the ministry and provinces, has correctly understood that the development of tourism without the organization of the industry's activists will face serious limitations.

Nikzad added: In my opinion, helping to form mutual trust between the private sector and the tourism agency is one of the most valuable achievements of this approach in Golestan. An institutional capital that is more difficult and more permanent to create than the implementation of physical projects.

He emphasized: This experience becomes a model that can be generalized at the national level when its achievements are documented in indicators such as the level of participation of members, the number of resolved issues, the quality of interaction with executive bodies, and the impact on the business environment.

This tourism activist of Golestan province, referring to the requirements of implementing the directive, said: The first issue is to ensure the effective participation of organizations in decision-making. If the presence of private sector representatives in relevant councils, commissions and working groups remains solely dependent on the invitation of the executive bodies, an important part of the capacity of the new structure will remain unused.

He suggested that the ministry, in interaction with competent authorities, provide specific mechanisms for the continuous and effective presence of elected representatives of organizations in tourism-related authorities.

Nikzad added: Before approving decisions that have direct economic and executive effects on tourism facilities, expert opinions of organizations should be obtained and reviewed. Real participation becomes meaningful when the opinion of the private sector is heard before making a decision, not only when its effects on the activities of economic enterprises are revealed.

Delegation of authority must be accompanied by resources and accountability

The head of the Professional Association of Hospitality Units of Golestan Province said about the transfer of non-governmental affairs: the principle of transfer is a positive step in the direction of shrinking the government and using the specialized capacity of the private sector, but the transfer of tasks without financial resources, specialized training, executive infrastructure and accountability mechanism may lead to the transfer of the problems of the government system to the organizations.

He continued: For each devolved area, service standards, responsibility limits, financial resources, performance evaluation indicators, and complaint handling mechanisms should be determined in a clear manner. Compliance with the principles of conflict of interests, healthy competition and preventing the creation of exclusive privileges should also be one of the main pillars of handovers.

Nikzad emphasized: The professional organization should facilitate the economic activity of the members and should not inadvertently become a new layer of bureaucracy.

He considered maintaining the professional independence of organizations as one of the other requirements for the implementation of the guidelines and said: the existence of supervisory mechanisms is necessary to ensure the integrity of elections, financial transparency and prevent violations, but the dynamics of organizations depends on the independence of decision-making, the free choice of managers and the possibility of presenting expert and critical views.

Nikzad added: There should be a clear distinction between legal supervision and managerial intervention in the implementation of the directive. Also, the procedures for dealing with disputes, the right to defend and protest, and the limits of the powers of supervisory authorities should be clear and predictable in order to strengthen the legal security of organizations and the trust of their members.

The head of the professional association of catering units and tourist complexes of Golestan stated: A powerful organization is an organization that can present its independent point of view in a professional, respectful and reasoned atmosphere and remain a development partner despite disagreements.

Referring to the representation of the country's diverse capacities of tourism in the national structure, he said: the provision of representatives of provincial centers in the National Assembly is a positive step, but the limited number of provincial elected seats, the need to pay attention to regional justice, the diversity of tourism fields, and periodic circulation increases the opportunity for representation.

Nikzad continued: Iran's tourism is not limited to a few well-known destinations. Border provinces, rural areas, natural areas and provinces with emerging tourism capacities should also be able to influence national policies.

He added: Designing mechanisms to continuously receive the views of all provincial centers, even provinces that do not have a direct representative in the National Assembly, can reduce this concern.

The measure of success is the impact on the tourism economy

This tourism activist of Golestan province stated: The formation of associations and centers is necessary, but it should not become the final goal. The measure of success of the new structure should be reflected in reducing business barriers, increasing the quality of services, improving the investment environment, developing employment, improving the skills of activists and increasing the share of tourism in the national economy.

He said: "Using digital technologies and artificial intelligence tools to count members' issues, analyze industry data, measure service quality and evaluate the performance of organizations can help the efficiency of the new structure."

Nikzad suggested that the ministry, in cooperation with the provincial centers, develop a model for the annual evaluation of the organization's performance, in which the actual impact on the tourism economy is more important than merely administrative activities.

In the end, he considered the announcement of the new directive as a promising sign of the gradual change in the view of the position of the private sector and said: By announcing this framework, the Minister of Cultural Heritage has provided an opportunity to strengthen the role of professional institutions in the management and development of tourism. The full realization of this opportunity requires the continued support of the ministry, trust in the elected managers of the organizations, and the support of the executive bodies at the national and provincial levels.

Nikzad added: Golestan's experience and Fereydoun's active approach in strengthening and harmonizing organizations show that professional institution-building depends on managerial belief and executive will before it requires directives. These experiences should be documented and become a model for the organized participation of the private sector in other provinces, along with the capacities of the new guidelines.

He emphasized: the private sector of tourism should not be the only audience for decisions; It should have a real and effective contribution in making decisions. If this principle becomes a management culture and a sustainable decision-making procedure, the new guidelines can be the starting point of a new chapter in Iran's tourism governance.