TEHRAN – Iran's Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, Seyyed Reza Salehi-Amiri, has called for a new phase of tourism cooperation with Namibia during a meeting with its tourism minister Indileni Daniel on the sidelines of the 128th session of the UN Tourism Executive Council.

The two ministers discussed ways to expand bilateral tourism relations, strengthen cooperation between private-sector tourism operators and develop a framework for long-term collaboration between the two countries, Miras-e Aria news agency reported on Friday.

Salehi-Amiri said Namibia possessed significant tourism potential and could play an important role in developing tourism ties with Iran. He described Namibia as a valuable tourism destination in Africa and said the country had substantial natural and cultural attractions that could support greater cooperation between the two nations.

The Iranian minister also extended an official invitation to Daniel to visit Iran, expressing hope that such a visit would contribute to closer bilateral relations and increased awareness of tourism opportunities in both countries.

Salehi-Amiri said Namibia remained largely unfamiliar to many potential Iranian travelers despite Africa's growing appeal as a tourism destination. "It is necessary to jointly introduce Namibia's tourism attractions to the Iranian people and present Iran's historical, cultural and natural capacities to the people of Namibia," he said.

He emphasized the importance of cooperation between travel agencies and private-sector tourism stakeholders in both countries to facilitate tourist exchanges and develop joint tourism initiatives.

Salehi-Amiri also proposed the preparation and signing of a memorandum of understanding on tourism cooperation, describing it as a step toward institutionalizing relations and defining joint projects. He said formal cooperation frameworks could help expand tourism relations, promote the exchange of experience and increase professional interaction between the two countries.

Daniel welcomed Iran's proposals and stressed the need to strengthen tourism ties between Namibia and Iran. She said the number of Iranian visitors to Namibia remained limited and called for joint efforts to increase tourist flows between the two countries.

"The reality is that we do not yet see many Iranian tourists in our country, and we need to work together to improve these numbers," Daniel said. The Namibian minister highlighted her country's cultural, ethnic and natural diversity and said Namibia was ready to expand tourism cooperation with Iran.

Daniel also expressed interest in benefiting from Iran's experience in desert tourism development, citing Namibia's extensive desert and arid regions.

At the conclusion of the meeting, both sides agreed to continue consultations, strengthen technical and operational cooperation, and pursue further tourism exchanges between Iran and Namibia, the report said.

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