Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani has written to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), voicing the Iranian capital’s readiness to host the United Nations specialized agency’s 10th Global Summit on Urban Tourism.
Iranian officials held a meeting on Tuesday with UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili in Spain’s capital of Madrid, which is hosting the 24th session of the agency’s General Assembly.
During the meeting, Iranian Ambassador to Madrid Hassan Qashqavi submitted Zakani’s letter to the UNWTO chief, the IRIB news agency reported.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Deputy Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Ali Asghar Shalbafian, who was also present in the meeting, outlined Tehran’s latest plans to develop its tourism industry, saying the country’s new administration attaches special significance to this sector.
Pololikashvili, for his part, extended his congratulations to Ezatollah Zarghami over his appointment as Iran’s minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts and praised his determination to develop the country’s tourism industry.
According to UNWTO, urban/city destinations for tourism “offer a broad and heterogeneous range of cultural, architectural, technological, social and natural experiences and products for leisure and business.”
The UNWTO’s Global Summit on Urban Tourism brings together mayors of major tourism destinations, heads of tourism administrations and organizations, and officials of related ministries and agencies, who share their experiences and visions on urban tourism during the event.