Fars Province attracts over 23,000 foreign tourists
A total of 23,319 foreign tourists visited Fars Province during the first half of the current Iranian year (March 21–September 21), according to Heydarali Zahedian, Deputy Head of Fars Province’s Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization.
He noted that although Fars hosted tourists from a wide range of countries, the largest numbers came from Russia, China, France, Germany, and Austria, IRNA wrote.
Zahedian said that visits to the tombs of Hafez and Sa’di, the UNESCO-listed sites of Persepolis and Pasargadae, Eram Garden, the Sassanid Archaeological Landscape, and other cultural heritage attractions in Fars were included in the itineraries of foreign tourists.
Referring to the importance of increasing the number of foreign visitors to boost tourism in the province, he added that meetings have been held with inbound tour operators to review and discuss strategies for attracting more tourists in line with current conditions.
Zahedian stated that one of the key strategies for attracting tourists is hosting foreign familiarization tours (FAM tours) to introduce the province’s tourism potential and highlight the positive features of traveling to Fars.
Emphasizing the effectiveness of FAM tours in attracting foreign tourists, he said that tour operators are focusing on organizing such tours and are currently holding consultations and negotiations with groups from various countries.
He announced that negotiations for the presence of two companies in the province have so far been finalized, and around 20 foreign tourism professionals are expected to visit Fars.
With 13 UNESCO World Heritage sites — including the Sassanid Archaeological Landscape, the World Heritage sites of Persepolis and Pasargadae, Eram Botanical Garden, and Izadkhast Caravanserai — Fars Province has consistently remained one of the main destinations for foreign tourists traveling to Iran.
In addition, Shiraz’s high capacity in health tourism has made the city a host to foreign travelers from neighboring countries.