Golestan Province to host 12th Int’l Tribe’s Culture Festival
The total number of foreign tourists arriving in Iran during the year to March 21, 2019 increased by 50 percent, said the deputy head of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicraft and Tourism Organization for Tourism Affairs.
Speaking in a press conference on 12th International Festival of Tribe’s Cultures to be held in Golestan Province, Vali Teimori added that despite a 17-percent decline in the number of European travelers, a significant rise has been witnessed in the number of tourist arrivals in Iran from regional countries during the period.
He said the figures are based on passport stamps by Iranian Immigration and Passport Police while the provincial tourism departments are the main sources for announcing the number of domestic travelers visiting various parts of Iran.
The official said that due to the lack of tourist satellite account (TSA), as an international criteria, in Iran, the figures are not precise.
The official said establishing TSA in Iran is only possible with the help of Statistical Center of Iran and Tourism Bank.
Teimori added a plan was recently submitted to World Tourism Organization calling on the international body to help ICHHTO’s tourism department in this respect.
“We are determined to use the trip distribution model in Iran”, he said adding holding the international festival of tribe’s cultures is among the plans devised by the ICHHTO’s tourism department to achieve this objective.
He believed that the cultural and religious diversity of Iran cannot be found in any regional country, stressing that the potential can be used to draw more foreign tourists.
Speaking at the same press conference, Director General of Golestan Province’s Cultural Heritage, Handicraft and Tourism Department Ebrahim Karimi said the 12th International Festival of Tribe’s Cultures will be held in Gorgan from November 20-23 in Gorgan and from November 24-28 in Gonbad Kavous.
He said 31 provinces will participate in the handicraft exhibition to be held during the festival, pointing out that a large number of provinces having local music will also take part in its music festival.
Karimi said the 12th International Festival of Tribe’s Cultures will provide a suitable opportunity for introducing Iranian villages with eco-tourism potentials.
“A souvenir exhibition, to be participated by all Iranian provinces, will also be held during the festival,” he concluded.
Source:Iran daily