Qarayi: Tourism Can Become One of the Main Pillars of Iran's Economy

The documentary filmmaker behind the program "Iran Gard," criticizing the neglect of Iran's tourism potential, stressed the need to develop this industry to generate revenue, create jobs, and introduce the country's culture and civilization.

Ambassador of Arjan - Community Group: Javad Garai, producer and documentary maker of "Irangerd" program, emphasizing on Iran's extensive historical, natural and cultural capacities, believes that tourism should be transformed from a marginal activity into one of the main axes of the country's economy. Criticizing what he considers to be inattention to the capacities of this industry, he emphasizes that the development of tourism, in addition to generating income and employment, can help to introduce the culture and civilization of Iran and strengthen the relationship between nations.

In this detailed interview, referring to his years of travel experience in different parts of the country, Garai spoke about the necessity of increasing domestic travel, introducing the lesser-known attractions of Tehran, the fate of the "Lovely Tehran" project, job offers from abroad, and his concerns about the future of Iran.

Considering the recent developments and threats against Iran, what solution do you suggest to strengthen the country's deterrence?

My request to the Supreme Leader is that, considering the big events that have happened in the last year and a few months, they issue an order to build or procure nuclear weapons in any form and at any cost, solely for the purpose of deterrence. Today, our enemies are openly talking about the annihilation of Iran and their message is that you must either surrender completely or we will destroy you. In such a situation, we should think about protecting Iran, its people, the history and civilization of our country for thousands of years.

I am making this request purely from a deterrence point of view, not to attack another country. I believe that the goal should be that no enemy has the courage to attack Iran and that we can protect our people, land and valuable assets. Aggressive use of nuclear weapons and attacking a country that has not posed a nuclear threat is, in my opinion, a criminal act against humanity.

In my opinion, Iran should be able to come to the negotiation table with strength and get its rights. The goal is for our country to pass through this historical turning point and have the opportunity to flourish; Because I believe that the strength and power of defense, along with other capacities of the country, plays an important role in maintaining independence and national security.

History also has important lessons for us. For example, when we talk about the Safavid era and the battle with the Ottomans, we must pay attention to the difference in the weapons power of the two sides and its consequences. My concern is that if we don't learn from historical experiences, we may face heavy consequences again. For this reason, I emphasize that Iran's security and prevention of war should be prioritized and decision makers should consider ways to strengthen the country's deterrence.

You have talked many times about Iran's unique capacity to attract foreign tourists. Why, despite these capacities, the country's tourism has not reached the place you expected?

Iran has a very large capacity in terms of variety of historical, natural and cultural attractions. We are facing a land that contains diverse climates, landscapes, historical monuments, cultures and customs. However, in my opinion, this capacity has not been sufficiently translated into an economic advantage.

One of the problems is management's view of tourism. Until the officials at different levels do not understand the importance of this industry properly, we cannot expect a coherent and long-term policy to be formed for it.

Of course, not all problems can be attributed to one factor. Infrastructure, advertising, tourism management, travel conditions and policies for foreign tourists are all important. We need to correct the set of these factors.

I believe that if we have proper planning, effective advertising, appropriate infrastructure and well-considered policies to attract tourists, tourism can become one of the most important sources of income for the country.

In your statements, you have mentioned the possibility of an annual income of more than 200 billion dollars from tourism. What is the basis of this estimate?

This number is my personal estimate and evaluation of Iran's potential tourism capacity. When I look at the diversity of the country's attractions, the breadth of fields related to tourism and the experience of other countries, I believe that Iran has the possibility of achieving a very high income from this industry.

For example, I have mentioned the tourism revenues of countries like Türkiye; A country that has been able to turn tourism into one of the most important sources of its economic income. Iran also has wide capacities in terms of historical and natural attractions, but having attractions alone is not enough.

We must turn these capacities into tourism products, have a plan to introduce them, provide quality services and provide conditions for tourists to travel more comfortably.

I believe that if this set of measures is done correctly, tourism can make a much bigger contribution to Iran's economy. Of course, the realization of such income requires investment, planning and changing management approaches.

In a situation where travel costs are high for many families, how can people contribute to the development of domestic tourism?

One of the things that people can do is to increase domestic travel according to the economic power of families. Traveling doesn't necessarily mean staying in expensive hotels or spending a lot of money.

You can travel to nearby areas by private car, use budget accommodations and choose destinations that are less expensive. Even short trips to cities and villages around the place of residence can be a valuable experience.

When people travel to a region, they pay for accommodation, food, transportation, buying local products and using services. These expenses contribute to the economy of the same area and can provide income generation for local families.

Of course, I don't mean to put the responsibility of tourism development solely on the people. The main task of policy-making, creating infrastructure and providing suitable conditions is the responsibility of the responsible institutions. But people can also play their part by traveling consciously and supporting local businesses.

Considering that the autumn season is approaching, what destinations do you recommend for travel?

Autumn is a very attractive season for traveling in many regions of Iran. In this season, the weather becomes milder in some parts of the country, and nature tourism and visiting historical areas are possible.

In my opinion, the forests of the north and the forest areas of Zagros can have beautiful views during the autumn season. The changing color of the leaves and the variety of landscapes make these areas attractive for nature lovers.

Of course, the choice of destination should be done according to weather conditions, road conditions, accommodation facilities and family's economic power. More important than the destination is that the trip should be accompanied by knowing and respecting the nature and culture of the local people.

Tourists should not harm the environment, leave their waste in the nature and respect the customs of the local people. Responsible tourism is formed when both the tourist enjoys the trip and the host community benefits from his presence.

You mentioned a project called "Lovely Tehran" that was supposed to introduce the capital's capabilities. What is the stage of this project?

"Lovely Tehran" project was designed with the aim of introducing the attractions of Tehran. This collection was supposed to be produced in the form of 50 episodes and introduce different parts of the city and province of Tehran to the audience during about 26 weeks.

For this purpose, discussions had been held with Tehran Municipality and Sedavasima, and the project was supposed to go forward with the participation of these groups. The contract was also in the preparation stage, but with the beginning of the war and then the financial problems, the work was stopped.

However, I hope the problems will be resolved and we can finish this project; Because Tehran has many capacities that have not yet been properly introduced.

Why do you believe that Tehran has received less attention in tourism despite having many attractions?

Many people know Tehran with traffic, congestion, air pollution and noise. These issues are realities that cannot be ignored, but they are not the whole reality of Tehran.

Tehran has many diverse capacities in terms of history, nature, culture and science. From the mountains of Alborz and Tochal to the Varamin plain, the historical monuments of different cities and regions of the province, museums, architectural buildings and cultural attractions can all be the subject of tourism programs.

In terms of anthropology, Tehran is a very diverse city. Different tribes and groups from all over Iran live in this city and this has given it a significant cultural and social diversity.

Besides these, there are capacities related to food, architecture, science, technology, art and theater. In my opinion, Tehran can be seen as a compact image of Iran's cultural diversity.

The problem is that until these attractions are introduced, people will not know enough about them. When the awareness increases, the interest to visit also increases. Our goal of "Lovely Tehran" was to change people's view of the capital's neglected capacities.

You have also talked about being in the broadcasting organization and the difficulties you had in your professional career. Despite these problems, why have you continued working in Iran?

During the years of my professional activity, I have experienced both good collaborations and at some points I have faced problems. Some managers have been supportive of our work and others, for various reasons, have not been as supportive of these activities as I expected.

But in my opinion, there should be a difference between the problems that a person may face in his work environment and the problem of the country. If I am dissatisfied with the performance of a manager or official, this dissatisfaction does not mean that I should distance myself from Iran or harm my country.