One of these brand names, a large hotel management company, owns more than 150 luxury hotels in five continents and is famous for its services and hospitality, he said on Saturday, without naming them.
Sabzalipour said extensive negotiations with several big names in the sector had been going on for a year for investment in the construction and renovation of hotels and commercial hotel management.
After months of consultations and extension of guarantees, we have convinced them to a great extent and paved the way for their presence in the Iranian market.
The delegates are planned to travel separately andvisit tourist destinations and hold talks with Iranian mayors and related state officials as well as private investors.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="555"]
The ruins of Persepolis in southern Iran[/caption]Sabzalipour said although Irans tourism is not under US-led sanctions, some recent headways in nuclear negotiations have led to positive openings and encouraged international hoteliers to view the Iranian market with more optimism.
Iran plans to annuallyattract 20 million tourists by 2025 which could generate$30 billion of revenues, director of Irans Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization Masoud Soltanifar has said.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="555"]
Foreign visitors travelling on Iran's Golden Eagle Danube Express tourist train[/caption]The country is among the worlds top potential tourist destinations with a treasure trove of ancient sites, including 17 places listed by the UNESCO.
Tourism, however, is a neglected industry in Iran whichhas relied on oil exports for decades.
Sabzalipour said global tourism has experienced a phenomenal growth in recent years, prompting a flurry of structural plans in many countries.
Tourism is now viewed as the third biggest industry in the world in terms of revenue generation and turnover after oil and car-making. According to recent World Tourism Organization data, the industry will grow such that by 2020, it will compete with oil as the biggest hard currency earner.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="555"]
Mosques with their magnificent architecture in Iran[/caption]He said Iran currently has the capacity to host between 2 million to 3 million foreign tourists a year, adding the country plans to turn the tourism sector into the second source of revenue after oil.
Iran has a very distinctive and superior position for attracting tourists. Favorite subjects for tourists are abundant in Iran," Sabzalipour said.
"Theyinclude a beautiful nature with its unique climatic and weather features, the country'scultured people with an ancient civilization and their customs as well as its very old sides with their splendid architecture."
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="555"]
Northern Iran on the Asalem-Khalkhal road[/caption]Sabzalipour said Iran is regarded as one of the five most important countries in tourism.
"According to a group of leading experts in tourism, every tourist entering Iran could bring in revenues equaling theexportof dozens of barrels of oil."
By Press TV
