Turkish investors eager to invest in Iran's tourism sector

Turkish investors have voiced willingness to invest in Iran's tourism sector, Iranian Vice-President and Head of the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and tourism Organization (ICHHTO) Massoud Soltanifar announced.
"In view of the preparedness of Turkish investors to invest in the development of tourism infrastructures in our country, Iran will dispatch several teams to Turkey for final negotiations," Soltanifar said after a meeting with a group of Turkish investors in Tehran on Sunday.
He noted that Iran has attaches special importance to Turkish investors, and said, "These investors are well experienced in the tourism sector and they will work on the development of airlines and also construction of four- and five-star hotels."
On Friday, Soltanifar expressed pleasure that more foreign tourists have been showing interest in traveling to Iran in recent months.
"The number of foreign tourists visiting Iran in the first five months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-Auguat 22) showed 200 percent growth in comparison with last year's corresponding period," Soltanifar said in a meeting with investors of tourism sector.
He noted that 90 percent of the foreign tourists come to visit Iran with the purpose of natural, historical and religious tourism, adding, "Only 10 percent of foreign tourists come to Iran to attend conferences."
Soltanifar noted that Iran has over one million historical and natural sites that only 31,100 or nearly three percent of them have been registered.
Earlier this week, Soltanifar announced that over 4.8 million foreign tourists visited Iran in the last Iranian year (ended March 20, 2014) and brought around $5.5bln of revenues to the country despite all sanctions and limitations.
Iran and Turkey signed 10 economic agreements during a visit by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at the head of a high-ranking delegation to Turkey in June.
The value of trade between Iran and Turkey in the first half of 2014 stood at $6.5bln, according to data released by Turkish Statistical Institute.
Trade between Turkey and Iran stood at $22bln in 2012 before dipping to $14.5bln in the following year due to the economic sanctions imposed on Tehran by the West.