TEHRAN – On Thursday, owners of over 40 campervans and caravans started a three-day parade to promote tourism under health protocols to help curb the coronavirus.

Organized under the supervision of the Touring & Automobile Club of the Islamic Republic of Iran (TACI), they left Tehran for an itinerary that stretches to Alborz, Qazvin, and Gilan provinces.

Participants are set to clean nature and collect garbage and waste left in the environment along with certain spots of their itinerary, CHTN reported.

Moreover, they plan to stage other rallies across the country to promote tourism.

Iran's tourism industry has enormously suffered from the coronavirus pandemic as the average of international travels to and from Iran fell by 80 percent during the past Iranian calendar year 1399 (ended on March 20, 2021) from a year earlier.

International tourist arrivals to Iran plunged 72% during the first eight months of the year when compared to 2019, according to data compiled by the World Tourism Organization. Restrictions on travel introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic continue to hit global tourism hard, with the latest data from the UNWTO showing a 70% fall in international arrivals for the first eight months of 2020.

Optimistic forecasts, expect the country would achieve a tourism boom after coronavirus is contained, believing its impact would be temporary and short-lived for a country that ranked the third fastest-growing tourism destination in 2019.

UNWTO’s Panel of Experts foresees a rebound in international tourism in the current year, mostly in the third quarter. However, some experts suggest the rebound could occur only in 2022.

The Islamic Republic expects to reap a bonanza from its numerous tourist spots such as bazaars, museums, mosques, bridges, bathhouses, madrasas, mausoleums, churches, towers, and mansions, of which 26 being inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

AFM