Tehran – With another month to go until the start of the Iranian New Year, which has long been associated with millions of domestic trips, Iran’s tourism minister wants to find a way to partially revive the already collapsed trips in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The Ministry of Tourism held several meetings with the National Headquarters for Coronavirus Control while we discussed the issues at length. Based on our strategies, we have proposed two travel models that can be implemented in accordance with the country’s health protocols, “ISNA quoted Deputy Tourism Minister Vali Teymouri on Thursday.

The first [working] Model for travel in the Iranian New Year, suggests travel through package tours.

“During the package tours, travelers benefit from the tour’s services and will definitely stay in authorized accommodation centers [and destinations] which are under the supervision of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Crafts, ”said the official.

For the second model, people don’t go on tours, but when they travel to their destination city, they must stay in authorized accommodation centers that are under the supervision of the ministry to comply with all health protocols and maintain public health, Teymouri explained.

Any other form of housing would be banned to contain the virus, he said.

“To prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Noruz 1400, the establishment of tourist camps, camping, tourists staying in schools, shrines, husseiniyahs, etc. is prohibited and this problem has been announced to the provincial governors.”

Noruz-Reisen’s arteries are expected to be revealed in detail during the upcoming tourism and handicrafts exhibition that will be held in the near future, he said.

The Minister of Heritage, Tourism and Crafts, Ali-Asghar Mounesan, published in November that unplanned mass travel would not be approved. “The coronavirus outbreak has damaged the tourism industry in Iran and Iran [other parts of] the world is such that, according to statistics, 50 million people are directly and indirectly exposed to unemployment due to the virus that is spreading in the global scene… However, mass travel or unplanned and irresponsible travel is not allowed for the coronavirus era. “

Smart and responsible travel should replace the “do not travel” recommendations, stressed the minister, adding: “In our country, Corona has caused problems in the tourism industry and the worrying point is the continuation of this trend.”

“We know exactly what the National Headquarters for Coronavirus Control is announcing [the health protocols]So we have proposed some smart, responsible travel packages that, if implemented, we could have safe travel, ”said the minister.

He has repeatedly announced that his ministry is in full coordination with the Ministry of Health to strictly enforce health protocols in travel destinations, hospitable centers and museums, among other things, and underlined that “people’s health is our priority”.

tourism [industry of Iran] grew before the corona [outbreak]Revenue in 2019 was $ 11.7 billion, which is 2.8% of GDP. This corresponds to an average share of tourism in global GDP of 3.2 percent, explained the minister.

Iranians traditionally make hundreds of thousands of domestic trips during the New Year holidays, when most shops and workplaces are closed, as are schools.

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