Mohammad-Taha Abd Khodaei in the third International Catering, Traveling, and Tourism Exhibition in Tehran added, "Only about 10 percent tourists coming to the country are from Europe, whereas, the rest are from Asia and the Middle East."
The exhibition opened at Milad Hall of Tehran Permanent Fairground on Tuesday.
The main objective of the event is to facilitate the exchange of expertise between Iran and representatives from 15 foreign states. The tourism officials from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia negotiated and a separate meeting took place between Japanese officials last week.
The first seminar on Iran-Japan Tourism was held on June 8 in Laleh Hotel, Tehran. Several Iranian and Japanese tourism officials and agencies participated in the gathering, which focused on cooperation.
Pointing to ancient civilization of Iran and its significant role in formation of other civilizations, Khodaei emphasized on exploration of tourism potentials adding that more than ever Iran and Japan enjoy economical, social, and cultural relations.
"Every year more than 17million Japanese tourists travel around the world. Even 10 percent of them will be a great boost to the tourism industry in Iran," he said, adding that because of commonalities in culture, there will be much less problems for tourists coming from Asia and the Middle East. Of course this is not to say that Europeans are not welcome, but our main policy should be directed at attracting those coming from Asia and the neighboring states.
Khodaei also confirmed granting credits to hotel owners nationwide and said that the motion will be ratified by the end of the year. He likewise emphasized the importance of domestic tourism, saying that there will be better willingness and reception for international holidaymakers once the sector learns how to keep up with the locals.