TEHRAN – Iran is a country that is highly important in terms of culture and it embraces all the necessary attractions for Spanish tourists who like to travel to the country, Spanish Charge d’Affaires to Tehran, Jose Luis Solano, has said.

These attractions range from handicrafts to diverse dishes which help gain a better understanding of a country’s culture, Solano said in an interview published on Saturday.

“Every year we see an increase in the number of Spanish visitors to Iran, and this is constant growth.”

The diplomat also referred to Iranian arrivals in Spain, saying “Some 19,000 visas were issued to Iranians during the past year.”

“So it can be said that we have very good cooperation in the tourism arena but it can always be improved and increased,” he said.

“I believe that there are very good tourism relations between the two countries as we have many requests each year from Iranians for [obtaining] visas and traveling to Spain.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, the official confirmed that the people who are applying for Spanish visas should meet all the necessary requirements.

Back in September, Madrid’s ambassador to Tehran said that Iran is an amazing and wonderful country for tourists and [some] ninety percent of Spanish cultural tourists are willing to visit the country at least for once.

“Iran is home to the most genuinely hospitable people who greet foreign tourists with open arms,” Eduardo López Busquets said.

“Many Spanish tourists, around 10,000, travel to Iran annually, most of them are between the ages of 50 and 60 years. And most Spanish people who travel to Iran are cultural tourists. Once in Iran, they also become familiar with Iran’s capacities in ecotourism.”

Currently, a loan exhibit from Spain’s Archeological Museum of Alicante (MARQ) in on show at the National Museum of Iran. The large-scale exhibition features around 300 objects, some of which dating for millennia. The exhibit is in return for a landmark Iranian exhibit titled “Iran, Cradle of Civilization” that the Spanish museum had hosted from March 14 to September 1, pulling in 101,108 visitors Spain and other nationalities.

AFM/MG