Today, the Silk Road will come alive with the movement of tourists

Relying on the common heritage of the Silk Road, Iran and China are taking steps to develop tourism cooperation, design joint travel packages and increase tourist exchange.

According to Ambassador Arjan, a specialized meeting to promote Iran-China tourism cooperation was held on Friday evening on October 24, 1405, hosted by the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Beijing and attended by a group of officials, activists and representatives of tourism companies of the two countries.

In this meeting, while referring to the history of cultural and civilizational relations between Iran and China, the parties examined the most important obstacles to the development of bilateral tourism and emphasized the need to strengthen communication between agencies and tour operators, develop service infrastructures, introduce Iran's capacities in the Chinese market and provide the basis for the implementation of joint programs.

From the legacy of the Silk Road to the redefinition of tourism cooperation

At the beginning of the meeting, Nemati, the deputy ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Beijing, welcomed the attendees and expressed his hope that this meeting will be the basis for the promotion of tourism relations between the two countries.

He considered tourism as a bridge for mutual understanding between nations and emphasized: The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Beijing has made the development of tourism cooperation one of its priorities.

In addition, Rahmani Fazli, the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in China, referring to the historical links between the two countries along the Silk Road, described this ancient road beyond the exchange of goods and products as a platform for cultural, artistic, musical interactions and the transmission of the customs of nations.

He considered today's tourism activists to be the continuation of the historical role of caravanners, and pointing to the capacity of modern technologies and facilities, he emphasized the possibility of strengthening and accelerating the popular and cultural ties between Iran and China.

The ambassador of Iran in China also emphasized the necessity of planning for the future of tourism relations, preparation for removing obstacles, more effective organization of cooperation and increasing China's market share of Iran's tourism.

Referring to the recent war against Iran, Rahmani-Fazli emphasized China's role at this point and said: This war has enabled us to know our friend and enemy well. In this war, China proved to be a sympathetic friend, companion and helper of the Iranian people.

Stating that Iran and China are seeking peace and security in the Middle East and West Asia, he said: From Iran's point of view, China can play an important role in the reconstruction of the country in the post-war period.

Rahmani-Fazli considered removing obstacles, rearranging cooperation mechanisms and strengthening tourism exchanges as the requirements for using the existing capacities.

In another part of this meeting, Rouzbeh Kordoni, Advisor to the Minister and Director General of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, read the message of Seyed Reza Salehi Amiri, Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts.

In this message, the Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts considered the 55th year of diplomatic relations between Iran and China as an opportunity to improve the level of bilateral cooperation and move from the dialogue stage to operational action and emphasized: China should become one of the most important tourism partners of Iran, a goal whose realization depends on the direct and effective participation of agencies and tour operators of the two countries.

Introducing Iran as an original destination, with historical and cultural capacities and full of diverse experiences for Chinese tourists, Salehi Amiri emphasized the necessity of designing mechanisms to turn these capacities into tourism products that can be sold in the Chinese market.

In this framework, the Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts presented five specific proposals for the beginning of the operational phase of cooperation: the immediate formation of a "joint table of agencies and tour operators of Iran and China", designing and offering at least three special travel packages to Iran for the Chinese market, holding a familiarization tour of Iran for managers of agencies and Chinese journalists, developing services tailored to the needs of Chinese tourists, including providing Chinese-speaking guides and facilitating payment services, and setting quantitative goals and a specific timetable for sending tourists.

In this message, Salehi Amiri considered the meeting's success criteria to be beyond holding meetings and exchanging views and clarified: the result of this meeting should not be only dialogue and exchange of cards.

Emphasizing the necessity of achieving tangible results, he added: I expect that today's meeting will lead to an action plan, travel package, contract and the actual sending of tourists.

The Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts in summing up this approach, by linking the future of tourism of the two countries to the common heritage of the Silk Road, emphasized: The Silk Road was alive in the past with the movement of caravans, and the Silk Road will be alive today with the movement of tourists.

In this meeting, the representatives of Chinese tourism companies and institutions also expressed their satisfaction with the experience of cooperation with Iran and spoke about the hospitality of the people of our country and described Iran as a destination with high added value and profitable capacity for Chinese tourism agencies.

They also emphasized the interest of Chinese tourists to travel to Iran, and at the same time, they listed some obstacles in the way of the development of this market, which, according to the activists present, include the absence of Iran's tourism promotion office in Beijing, the instability of flights due to the war, and the limitation of familiarization tours.

Establishing a representative office or promotion of Iranian tourism in Beijing, holding destination introduction events for Chinese media and bloggers, conducting familiarization tours, designing special packages, using the capacity of tea culture as one of the fields of cultural sharing between the two countries, and establishing stable flights were among the suggestions made by the representatives of the Chinese tourism industry to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

In the continuation of the meeting, Rouzbeh Kordoni, advisor to the minister and director general of the ministerial area of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, while appreciating the hosting of the center of tourism and motoring and referring to the discussions held with the minister, announced the possibility of hosting a group of Chinese tourism industry activists in Iran.

He announced: It is possible to host a number of Chinese tour operators in the near future, a proposal that, if realized, can provide the opportunity for the Chinese market operators to get to know Iran's tourism capacities and explore the possibility of designing and supplying joint travel products.