Tehran to host first Nowruz tourism ministers’ forum in March 2026
Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Minister Reza Salehi-Amiri said on Monday that Tehran will stage the first-ever forum of tourism ministers from Nowruz-celebrating nations during the 2026 festivities in late March.
Salehi-Amiri told the gathering that Tehran aims to use the forum to push Nowruz into a “recognized global brand” for cultural tourism and to open a new chapter in regional cooperation, ILNA reported.
He called the ancient spring festival a “shared heritage” that binds countries from the eastern Mediterranean to Central Asia and argued that Iran, as its historic center, should “drive the agenda” for joint tourism projects.
The minister said the event will run ministerial talks alongside expert panels, training workshops and curated visits to flagship archaeological sites.
Delegations will tour the Achaemenid complexes at Persepolis and Pasargadae to take stock of what he described as Iran’s “hard evidence” of cultural depth.
He expects the trip to anchor discussions on sustainable regional tourism routes and collective stewardship of intangible heritage.
Salehi-Amiri noted that the government has already formed an inter-agency steering group with the foreign ministry and the national culture organization to handle logistics, content and protocol.
He said the conference’s three-pronged brief will focus on strengthening cultural diplomacy, stitching together regional tourism corridors and setting up joint conservation initiatives.
Nowruz, observed around March 20–21, is registered on UNESCO’s intangible heritage list and is celebrated widely across Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and parts of the Caucasus.
Tehran hopes that formal ministerial engagement during the holiday will lift the profile of Nowruz-linked tourism packages and give Iran a stronger hand in shaping cross-border cultural policy.
Salehi-Amiri said the ministry will finalize invitations and the detailed schedule in the coming weeks, adding that Tehran intends to “systematize” Nowruz tourism in the region and pitch it as a stable revenue stream for participating states.