TEHRAN An Iranian private company dealing with tourism industry has put full information about the location of all Iranian museums and tourist sites across the country in the Internet, a member of the company said.

The interested people can observe pictures and information about the historical sites in Iran at the following address: http://www.iranadd.com, he added.

In the meantime, the first tourism-cultural heritage training course was launched here Monday morning in line with efforts to further familiarize the youth with the rich Iranian culture and promulgate a culture of tourism.

The two-week training course is jointly sponsored by the Iran Touring and Tourism Organization (ITTO), the Cultural Heritage Organization and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The ITTO Director General for Training, Morteza Ahmadi, said at the opening session that 30 young students will be participating in the course.

"Becoming acquainted with tourism, sustainable development, ECO-tourism, culture, arts history and related technology are among the topics of the course," Ahmadi further added.

The course will also focus on ways of promoting international tourism, culture marketing and the tourism and tourist culture.

The association of young Iranian travelers and tourists was founded in 1997 with the aim of further familiarizing the youth with the rich Iranian cultural heritage. It currently has 5,000 active members.

UNESCO recently decided to upgrade the level of its Tehran office and make it the organization's regional branch.

Factors such as the enthusiasm of Iranians to participate in social activities, the country's mainly young population, its intellectual, social and dynamic atmosphere, cultural history and heritage and pioneering idea of civilizational dialogue were important factors in the choice of Iran as the UNESCO regional office.