TEHRAN Nowadays tourism is a main topic at every get-together, but we see no real progress in this field. What are the main obstacles? How can we improve this industry?

Undoubtedly hotel management is one of the vital areas which could bring about great developments in the tourism industry if the relevant officials attached sufficient importance to it. In this regard, the TEHRAN TIMES conducted an exclusive interview with Dr. Mohammad-Ebrahim Yavari, the managing director of HOMA Hotels Group. Following are excerpts of the interview:

Q: What are the main factors in attracting tourists and promoting the tourism industry?

A: I think the most influential and helpful factor -- however problematic -- is the determination and will of the relevant authorities. No serious actions have been taken so far. Any thoughtful decision requires coordination. Of course, there is such coordination in other parts of the industry but in the hotel management section we have not witnessed such actions, because there has been no professional analysis. Consequently, if our officials made a serious investigation of this industry this could help promote tourism. And what is important is that we must do it professionally. There are two kinds of tourists: Those who travel worldwide for excursion and those who are researchers. Now we must determine exactly what sort of tourists we need. We must work hard to attract these tourists. This is the government's responsibility because such programs are very costly and only the government can do this. If the government did this, the majority of hurdles would be removed.

Q: While the year 2001 has been called "The Year of Visiting Iran" and since hotel management can play a major role, what have you done up to now? Describe the weak and strong points.

A: First of all, we should recognize our potential in the field of tourism. We should determine which cities are favored by tourists and build suitable hotels in those cities. In Iran, only Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz and Mashhad have 5-star hotels which are not on the basis of international standards. This does not satisfy the demands of tourists.

If we want to increase the number of tourists, we should promote the quantity and quality of our hotels. In addition to hotel problems, we have an inadequate transportation system and few road restaurants. We do not have the least facilities, even for an ordinary tourist. This problem can be solved only through the concerted efforts of the private and public sectors.

Without government assistance, it will take 5 to 10 years to meet the basic needs of tourists.

Unfortunately, we should have planned for the arrival of large numbers of tourists before announcing this year as the Year of Visiting Iran. The main problem is lack of trained personnel. We are going to upgrade the science of hotel management. We have created special sites in this regard. We have some satellite channels under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance to inform tourists about the latest international news.

Q: Would you comment on the importance of hotel management and related difficulties?

A: Due to the importance of hotels for residence of tourists, its management is of prior importance. For this reason, remarkable measures have been taken in recent years to improve the quality of hotels and attract more tourists.

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Dr. Yavari (C) shaking hands with other participants at Fitur International Fair in Madrid on January 1, 2001