FEPET Spanish Journalists in Iran to Promote Iran Travel and Tourism Industry

46 members of the Spanish Federation of Journalists and Writers of Tourism (FEPET) traveled to Iran for the 19th FEPET congress in Iran from Saturday, November 24th to Monday, December 3th. The tour arrived in Shiraz on Sunday, November 24th and left Iran from Tehran on Sunday, December 3th. They visited Shiraz, Yazd, Isfahan, Matinabad, Kashan, and Tehran on a FAM trip, sponsored and organized by Iran Doostan Tours Co. (IDT)- one of the pioneers of travel and tourism industry of Iran. The goal of the FAM trip was to enhance their awareness toward the infrastructures and potentials of Iran’s tourism and travel industry and also to reinforce the tourism relationships between Iran and Spain. The tour met the officials of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, some of the Iranian tour operators and travel agencies involved in inbound tourism, as well as some journalists from different top Iranian journals in the conferences held in Shiraz, Yazd, Isfahan, and in the FEBET congress in Spinas Palace Hotel in Tehran.

Mariano Palacin the president of FEPET presented the certificate of appreciation to the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism Organization of different cities of Shiraz, Yazd, Isfahan, and Tehran. He named Iran as a wonderful country with amazing heritage sites and tourist attractions and friendly hospitable people. He admired Iran tourism officials and tour operators’ attempts to improve the travel and tourism industry in the country against sanctions imposed by the USA. To decrease the sanctions effects, Iran announced to welcome foreign tourists with no need to stamp their passports. He believes this could be a giant step forward to encourage international tourists to travel to Iran without any anxiety. He said Iran has experienced positive social changes comparing to his last visit of Iran twenty years ago and he appreciated Iran’s tourism officials’ enthusiasm for the promotion of Iran’s tourism and infrastructures. He believed Naqsh-e Jahan could be a proper brand for Iran’s tourism industry. He said: “I have visited 99 countries, and Naqsh-e Jahan Sq. is one of the most beautiful large squares of the world.” In the end, he predicted a promising future for Iran’s travel and tourism industry.

According to Mr. Ali M. Vaghefi, the Managing Director of Iran Doostan Tours Co., FEPET with 200 members holds the annual international congress in different countries and it decided to hold its 2018 congress in Iran. He said the idea of holding FEPET congress in Iran goes back to twenty years ago when the FEPET president traveled to Iran for 10-12 days, but it was postponed during all these years for some reason or another. He said the journalists left Iran with great satisfaction. The achievements of the tour are going to be published in Spanish media. Moreover, the chairman of FEPET is responsible for Fitur Exhibition magazine and he hopefully admitted to allocate 14 pages of the magazine to Ian for this year. Mr. Vaghefi believes organizing tours for foreign media specialists is of great importance regarding their vital role in impressing public opinion and tourist image construction of Iran, especially regarding the influential role of Spain media in Latin American countries.