Bringing Iran Tourism To Malaysia

This writer's first visit to Tehran was an exciting one. It gave him a chance to witness the Persian history of Iran which played a major role in the development of the Islamic civilization.Tehran is about 45km from the Imam Khomeini International Airport. The road to the capital city has a backdrop of snowy-white mountains.

Tehran, located in the north, experiences sub-zero temperatures in winter. This rapidly-developing capital city is a site of constant construction of modern buildings and congested roads.Tourists can choose to shop at malls or the bazaar, which offers bargain prices.

LIFESTYLE

Iran is an Islamic republic. Women, including tourists, are expected to wear hijab, or at least a scarf in public places.Nighttime activities are limited since the 1979 Iranian Revolution, also e known as the Islamic Revolution. Nightclubs and bars are banned. Locals prefer to spend their evenings at recreational parks or eateries.

Tehran locals also enjoy outings in the mountains, especially on weekends. They find the fresh air of the highlands a welcome change from traffic jams and vehicle exhaust fumes, said tour guide Niloofar Ghatey.

The writer and several of his Malaysian friends enjoyed the fresh night air of the Tochal Mountain and the beauty of the Tehran city at night.The route to the mountain-peak was packed wit h locals and tourists hiking up and down the summit.

Tehran has many museums and galleries showcasing the evolution of its civilization. They cover aspects of history, archeology, culture, royalty and even carpet-making.The writer visited the Carpet Museum in Laleh Park, which features unique hand-woven Persian carpets.The extraordinary finesse in hand-weaving these carpets makes them highly sought-after.

Niloofar said Iranian carpet designs were inspired by elements of nature and human life. Colours often symbolize the course of life as experienced by human beings.A popular dish in Iran is beef and chicken kebabs, served with saffron rice.Saffron, a spice used in popular Iranian dishes, is one of the most expensive spices in the world. Iran is one of its largest producers.

TOURISM POTENTIAL

The writer was in Tehran for the Travel Market programme organized by Tourism Malaysia.This visit to Tehran happened as a result of the 2011 Arabian Travel Market in Dubai from May 2 to 5, which was visited by the Malaysian delegation, headed by Tourism Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen.

Accompanying the delegation was Tourism Malaysia Director-General, Datuk Azizan Noordin.The three-day visit to Tehran from May 7 saw Dr Ng meet Iran's Vice President, Hamid Baghaei, to discuss the tourism potential.

The meeting was the first of its kind and yielded positive results. Malaysia and Iran agreed to create a special joint-committee to explore the tourism potential in both countries.Popular tourism hot spots in Iran are Isfahan, Shiraz and Mashhad.

Dr Ng and the Malaysian delegation also met with heads of tourism agencies and airlines in Iran at a dinner function. Many of them expressed interest in forging tourism-cooperation agreements with Malaysia.A consortium of agencies from both Malaysian and Iranian tour agencies will be established for the purpose.

A GROWING NUMBER OF IRANIAN TOURISTS

Dr Ng told Bernama that there was a 14.3 per cent increase in Iranian visitors last year, compared with the year before (up from 101,664 tourists in 2009 to 116,252 in 2010). This year, Malaysia is expecting 130,000 Iranian tourists.She said Tourism Malaysia would increase promotional efforts in Iran by highlighting Malaysian tourism products such as island holidays, beautiful parks, shopping complexes and the international shoe festival.

"I notice that in Iran, women play an important role in deciding the destinations for tourism. So we'll promote Malaysia accordingly," she said.Dr Ng said they would prepare a variety of tourism packages for Iranian citizens aged 55 and above. These could be jointly implemented with Iran's major companies taking their employees on trips.

FLOWER GARDENS AND THEME PARKS

Iranians are keenly interest in flower gardens and theme parks, and enjoy night-time activities like the night safari at the Melaka Zoo and boating at the Melaka River.

Dr Ng said the Iranian government is also considering a higher frequency of flights between both countries, especially from the regions of Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz and Mashhad, to Kuala Lumpur.Currently, Iran Air flies four times a week from Tehran to Kuala Lumpur. Low-cost carrier AirAsia flies three times a week from Tehran, while Mahan Air flies twice a week from Shiraz.

Source = bernama