Two ministries step up cooperation to promote tourism
Cruise ship licensing to be eased to draw more visitors
Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development Farzaneh Sadeq Malvajerd on Sunday emphasized the importance of closer cooperation with the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts to promote tourism and preserve the country’s historical sites. She also announced new plans to facilitate both domestic and international travel.
Speaking at a joint meeting attended by officials from both ministries, Sadeq Malvajerd said the goal was “to enhance coordination and strengthen collaboration” with the tourism ministry, ILNA reported.
“The missions of our two ministries in the areas of historical urban fabric and tourism are defined jointly — we never view these two fields as separate,” she said.
Developing marine tourism
Sadeq Malvajerd told ILNA on the sidelines of the meeting that the process for issuing licenses for passenger cruise ships along Iran’s coasts would be simplified.
“We are doing our utmost to accelerate investor attraction and the launch of cruise lines, and to issue the necessary permits as quickly as possible,” she said.
She praised the efforts of Tourism Minister Reza Salehi Amiri, noting that his ministry has been “actively working to attract investors and establish cruise operations along the country’s shores.” Sadeq said her ministry would make every effort to expedite the approval process.
“With the good cooperation established so far, we hope to take greater steps in the near future to facilitate domestic and international tourism,” she added, stressing that joint efforts will not only simplify travel but also “unlock barriers” in related sectors, including transport and tourism infrastructure.
Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Reza Salehi Amiri, speaking separately to ILNA, said his ministry has prepared a five-year plan to increase tourist arrivals by 25 percent annually.
“Last year (began on March 21, 2024), 7.399 million tourists entered the country. We had planned for a 25 percent growth, and this was achieved in the first two months of this year (began on March 21, 2025),” he said.
“However, due to the [12-day Israeli-imposed] war, we experienced a sharp decline in the third month,” Salehi Amiri added. “Since September, we have been working to restore normal conditions and continue our growth path.”