Over $950,000 allocated for Portuguese Castle restoration in Persian Gulf

TEHRAN – On Friday, Iranian tourism minister Ali-Asghar Mounesan visited the Portuguese Castle in the Persian Gulf island of Hormuz, allocating 40 billion rials (some $952,000) for restoration of the 16th-century monument.

Iran considering to give Russian tourists visa-free entry to help boost visitors

TEHRAN – Iran is considering to allow Russian tourists visa-free entry into the country to boost tourism, after it granted same privilege for some other nationals including Chinese and Omani passport holders.

Iran celebrates Hyrcanian Forests becoming World Heritage

TEHRAN – Iran on Thursday held a ceremony to officially celebrate Hyrcanian Forests for being designated as a World Heritage site. Experts say that parts of the woodland date back some 50 million years.

19 eco-lodges, guest houses inaugurated southwest Iran 

TEHRAN – A total of 19 eco-lodges and guest houses were inaugurated across the southwestern Bushehr province on Monday.

Yalda is a beautiful manifestation of Iran’s cultural heritage: tourism minister

TEHRAN – Iran’s tourism minister has said that Yalda Night is a beautiful manifestation of Iran’s intangible cultural heritage.

Omani airliner announces more flights to Iran

TEHRAN – Oman budget carrier SalamAir will add more flights to Iranian cities of Tehran and Shiraz in the near future thanks to high demands from customers.

Recovered Achaemenid ‘guard’ to go on show at Milad Tower

TEHRAN – A limestone relief of an Achaemenid Persian guard, which was brought back home from the U.S. last year, will go show in a month-long exhibit at Tehran’s Milad Tower.

Iran’s dotar instrument wins world heritage status

TEHRAN – Iran’s traditional skills of crafting and playing the dotar won world heritage status on Thursday, joining UNESCO’s culture list as one of the most prominent social and cultural components of the folkloric music of the nation.

By Afshin Majlesi

Tribal tourism gives chance to discover another face of Iran

For both domestic and foreign travelers, tribal tourism is all about opening eyes to new places, traditions, cuisines, beliefs, and ways of life.

President Rouhani invited to Hyrcanian Forest World Heritage celebration

TEHRAN – President Hassan Rouhani has been invited to attend a ceremony to celebrate registration of Hyrcanian Forest as a UNESCO World Heritage.

American travel-food vlogger takes social media by storm in Iran

TEHRAN – Thailand-based American food and travel vlogger Mark Wiens has recently arrived in Tehran, tasting street foods and sending videos to hundreds of thousands of his followers on the social media.

By Palash Ghosh

Iran tourism: Sector may get huge boost from China in defiance of U.S. sanctions

Despite the imposition of U.S. sanctions on various sectors of its economy, Iran is enjoying something of a boom in its tourism industry – with China possibly preparing to play a big role.

Tehran, Tashkent discuss enhanced tourism, cultural heritage co-op

TEHRAN – Iran’s tourism minister Ali-Asghar Mounesan and Uzbekistan’s ambassador in Tehran Bakhodir Abdullaev exchanged views to strengthen mutual ties in the arenas of tourism, cultural heritage, and handicrafts.

Tehran welcomes Beijing's initiative to revive glory of ancient Silk Road

TEHRAN – Iran’s tourism minister Ali-Asghar Mounesan has said Iran backs China’s initiative for reviving the glory of ancient Silk Road, which existed for thousands of years, passing through many different empires, kingdoms, reigns and societies throughout history.

Tehran, Beijing hold enormous potential for tourism co-op: minister

TEHRAN – Iran’s tourism minister Ali-Asghar Mounesan on Thursday called for tapping into Iran-China tourism capacity, which he referred to it as “enormous”, Fars reported on Friday. 

Iran proposes a world day for ancient civilizations

TEHRAN – Iranian tourism minister on Friday proposed a world day for ancient civilizations as he was addressing the third ministerial meeting of the Ancient Civilizations Forum in Beijing, China.

National library to host event on World Day for Audiovisual Heritage

TEHRAN – The National Library and Archives of Iran is slated to host a special event today to commemorate the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage and to raise general awareness of the need to take urgent measures and to acknowledge the importance of such documents.

Religious endowment relics on show at Tehran museum

TEHRAN – An exhibition of religious endowment (waqf) relics on Saturday opened to the public at the National Museum of Iran, according to the museum’s website.

Tehran, Muscat in talks to waive visas for visitors from Iran

TEHRAN - Iran has officially lifted the visa requirement for Omani nationals and now the two countries are in talks to do the same for Iranian travelers.

Iran, Oman seek to bolster health tourism ties

TEHRAN – Iran’s Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Ali Asghar Mounesan on Monday met with his Omani counterpart Ahmed bin Nasser al-Mahrizi in Muscat, discussing ways to promote bilateral ties particularly in the arena of health and medical tourism.

Exhibit of Iranian handicrafts opens in Muscat

TEHRAN – An exhibition of handicrafts, featuring wide-ranging works by Iranian artisans, is underway at the Al Bustan Palace, a 5-star luxury hotel in Muscat.

Iran’s travel balance remains positive in H1

TEHRAN – Iran’s travel balance remained positive in the first half of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 21), deputy tourism minister said on Monday.

By Afshin Majlesi

Spark your wanderlust: how influencers can help?

In the current fast-paced realm of advertising and marketing, travel influencers have changed the whole game as they have succeeded to materialize a totally new and self-directed channels to reach audiences in a more authentic and personal way, even influencing to shape their wanderlusts.

2,451 tourism projects worth $47b underway: minister

TEHRAN – A total of 2,451 tourism-related projects worth 2,000 trillion rials (about $47 billion) are being implemented across the country, tourism chief said on Thursday.

Iran’s Sari, Ardebil named ECO cultural capitals

TEHRAN – Iranian cities of Sari and Ardebil have been selected as the cultural capitals for the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) in the years 2022 and 2023 respectively.

Achaemenid-era clay tablets returned home after 84 years

TEHRAN – A total of 1,783 Achaemenid-era clay tablets, which were on loan from Iran to the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago since 1935, have been returned home.

Tourism holds considerable potential to build a better, more equal future, UNWTO chief says

TEHRAN – Tourism holds considerable potential to build a better, more equal future in the global scene as no single economic, social or human activity prospers in isolation, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili has said.

Iran marks World Tourism Day amid plans to boost arrivals

TEHRAN – Iran celebrated the World Tourism Day in a ceremony which was held in Zahedan, the capital of southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan province, on Saturday, with plans underway aimed to increase the number of foreign visitors to the country.

Play a great part in employment and production, Rouhani tells tourism minister

TEHRAN – President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday urged Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism Minister Ali-Asghar Mounesan to play a great part in the arenas of travel industry and crafts and to improve the status of craftspeople in terms of job creation and production.

UNWTO chief congratulates Mounesan on becoming tourism minister

TEHRAN – United Nations World Tourism Organization Secretary General Zurab Pololikashvili in a letter on Thursday congratulated Ali-Asghar Mounesan on becoming Iran’s tourism minister.