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National tourism innovation award ceremony held in Chabahar
The national event, organized under the secretariat of the Iranian Cultural and Creative Industries Park, began on Saturday and concluded with a closing ceremony on Monday.
Focused on networking, technological collaboration, and strengthening the creative economy, the event served as a platform to promote national synergy in innovative tourism. Alongside the exhibition, specialized workshops were held on topics such as creative economy, cultural entrepreneurship, social dimensions of tourism, and new business models. The sessions drew wide participation and provided a forum for refining ideas, critically assessing projects, and analyzing emerging trends in the tourism sector.
Hassan Rahai e, secretary of the award ceremony, said the initiative was not merely a competition but a framework to identify, evaluate, and guide Iran’s tourism innovation ecosystem. He noted that the sector now requires greater cohesion, standardization, and targeted support.
He added that the award’s call for submissions, aimed at identifying genuine, technology-driven, and impactful innovations in tourism, received strong nationwide interest. More than 120 entities—including startups, technology firms, and tourism operators—registered for the event.
Following an initial screening process, 48 participants advanced to the final judging stage, where they are set to be assessed based on a structured evaluation model.
Rahai e said the results provide a realistic picture of innovation in Iran’s tourism sector, highlighting both standout examples and existing defects.
He described one of the award’s key achievements as drawing a clear distinction between “ideas” and “effective implementation.”
He also stressed that the initiative could serve as a policy tool beyond the competition itself. The data and insights generated during the evaluation process, he said, could inform future decisions on supporting tourism technology companies, expanding digital infrastructure in destinations, strengthening cultural industries linked to tourism, and designing capacity-building programs.