The hotels of the future should reflect the cultural and artistic identity of the destination/ The link between Kerman's handicrafts and cultural heritage is the foundation of the province's tourism boom.

Emphasizing the need for the purposeful link between hospitality and handicrafts, the Deputy Minister of Handicrafts of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts said: Using the capacity of local arts in accommodation services and designing cultural experiences for tourists lays the foundation for economic value creation, strengthening local employment and fair distribution of tourism benefits in the host communities.

Barzin Zarghami in an interview with Arya Heritage:

Barzin Zarghami, Deputy Handicrafts of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, in an interview with Aria Heritage reporter on the sidelines of the first specialized conference on hospitality and related industries titled "New investment opportunities in the horizon of tourism" stated: Handicrafts are the meeting point of culture, local employment and cultural identity, and one can take advantage of all the tourism capacities of a region when the tourist, in addition to enjoying good accommodation and hospitality, has a deep understanding of the culture and identity of the destination during the trip. achieved

Zarghami added: The content transformation of hotel industry in Iran should be based on the creation of distinct and meaningful experiences for tourists, experiences that arise from the intelligent connection with history, architecture and handicrafts and come from the fabric of people's lives.

The Deputy Minister of Handicrafts of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage stated that handicrafts in hotels should not be considered only as an element for visual beauty, and stated: Every handiwork is a story of a region, an artist, a technique and a valuable heritage that has been formed over generations and passed on to today's generation.

Referring to Kerman's diverse cultural and artistic capacities, Zarghami said: "Choosing Kerman to hold this conference is a smart choice, because this province has a rich collection of historical, cultural and artistic capacities, and from the arts related to pate and valuable carpets to coppersmithing, carpets and other traditional disciplines, it contains a set of local skills and knowledge."

The Deputy Minister of Handicrafts of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage further said: Linking these artistic capacities with the historical and spiritual heritage of Kerman can contribute to the increasing prosperity of tourism and handicrafts in the province. If we pursue the development of tourism only from the perspective of tourism services, we will ignore an important part of the native talents and capacities of the region.

He considered the connection of accommodation services to local identities as one of the important paths of tourism development and added: the use of handicrafts in accommodation spaces and the design of special tourist routes to visit production workshops and learn about the process of creating works of art can deepen the connection of tourists with the culture of the destination and provide new opportunities for the introduction of artists and the prosperity of local businesses.

Zarghami also pointed to the pursuit of Kerman's case for obtaining the title of World Handicrafts City and stated: This case has been established and is being pursued by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, and the realization of this title can be an opportunity to introduce the well-known and effective capacities of Kerman's handicrafts at the international level.

The Deputy Minister of Handicrafts of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage noted: If we consider future tourism to be experience-oriented, the link between tourism and handicrafts will be an undeniable necessity, a link that can provide a more effective presence of local arts in the tourism service chain and local communities benefiting more from the benefits of this industry.

In the end, referring to the compilation and definition of the handicraft value chain document in the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, he said: operationalizing this document and strengthening the relationship between tourism and handicrafts is one of its important axes, and the realization of this goal requires more attention from tourism managers, especially in the hotel sector, so that the capacity of hotels becomes a platform for introducing local arts, supporting artists and creating added economic value.