TEHRAN – Iran’s Deputy Tourism Minister Anoushirvan Mohseni-Bandpei said on Monday that a planned tourism roadshow in Iraq would play an important role in expanding different areas of tourism cooperation between the two countries.

“Negotiations have already been planned with Iraq’s prime minister and minister of tourism so that we can increase tourist exchange with Iraq in various aspects, including pilgrimage, heritage and civilization tourism, recreation and health,” Mohseni-Bandpei said in remarks carried by ILNA news agency.

Speaking on the sidelines of Tourism Week, Mohseni-Bandpei added that due to the importance of Iran-Iraq tourism issue and the volume and scope of holding roadshow in Iraq, Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Reza Salehi-Amiri will personally attend this important tourism event in Iraq, the report said.

The official said that tourists entering Iran from Iraq have become dual-destination tourists in Iran with the efforts made, adding that Iraqi tourists who enter Iran either first go to Mashhad for pilgrimage and then head to some other provinces, or their purpose of entry is first to other provinces and then to pilgrimage in Mashhad and return to their country.

The deputy minister also said: “Our goal for the second half of the Iranian year of 1404 is to attract 2.5 million tourists from Iraq, and in 1405 we plan to attract five million tourists from Iraq.

The roadshow, which is scheduled to be held from October 6 to 9 in the three cities of Basra, Baghdad, and Karbala, with the support of the Iranian Travel Service Offices Association and the participation of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts, has prioritized the goal of attracting five million Iraqi tourists and exchanging 10 million tourists annually between Tehran and Baghdad.

He reiterated that the tourism roadshows held with different countries have not been held to the size and scope of the event that is to be held in Iraq.

Mohseni-Bandpei added: “Our goal is to bring more tourists to Iran in addition to pilgrimage tourists from Iraq and to introduce other tourism sectors and tourist attractions of Iran to Iraqi nationals and tourists who enter Iran from that country.”

KD