A meeting of health tourism stakeholders was held with the head of the Iran-Africa Joint Chamber of Commerce to discuss strategies for the development of health tourism.
At the beginning of this meeting, Masoud Barahman, the head of the Iran-Africa Joint Chamber of Commerce, stated that Iran ranks among the top 7 countries globally in cultural and historical heritage and among the top 10 in nature tourism and natural ecosystems. He noted with regret that Iran does not hold a suitable position in terms of revenue generation in these areas, attributing this to various reasons, including underperformance.
He continued by stating that developing countries are expanding their markets in all sectors, adding that health tourism presents a valuable opportunity to earn significant foreign currency revenues. He lamented that due to the country’s neglect of this sector and leaving the field to competitor countries, this opportunity is being lost.
The head of the Iran-Africa Joint Chamber of Commerce pointed out that Iran is a country with four distinct seasons and, given its capacities, can attract tourists. He added that, unfortunately, there has been no roadmap in this regard so far, and it is necessary for each province to have a separate roadmap developed based on its existing capacities.
Emphasizing the need to support active entities in the field of tourism and assist in their healthy and proper operation, he added: “At the Iran-Africa Chamber and an international organization called ‘Amin Traders,’ we are seeking to organize this sector to increase the country’s foreign currency earnings through this channel.”
Barahman stated that other countries are making good use of this capacity, adding: “Dubai has admitted more than 17,000 Africans to Iranian clinics in one year and has benefited from their presence, while this number was certainly higher, and they also visited other centers.”
The head of the Iran-Africa Joint Chamber of Commerce emphasized that Yazd is strong in historical monuments and handicrafts and also has a suitable environment for tours and attracting tourists. He said: “Yazd’s ecotourism and accommodation facilities are unique, and these factors can have a significant impact on the development of health tourism and the attraction of tourists, considering Yazd’s medical status.”
He mentioned the transportation system as another necessity for attracting tourists, stating: “Yazd also has a favorable situation in this regard with its railway and Yazd Air airline.”
Homa Khorshidi, the Deputy of Tourism at the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism of Yazd Province, also pointed out at the meeting that Yazd has been active in all branches of tourism and has received various accolades. She stated: “We have prepared and are implementing numerous programs in the field of tourism to increase the attraction of tourists.”
She continued that in the field of health tourism, despite all the capabilities the province has, we have not achieved much success due to air transport limitations.”
Khorshidi added: “The acceptance of domestic health tourists is completed by neighboring provinces, and this has led to this important matter not receiving the attention it deserves for the province.”
Stating that 10 travel agencies in Yazd have professional health tourism certificates, she clarified that the main challenge for the agencies is transportation issues, and it is hoped that with the activity of Yazd Air, this challenge will also be resolved, and passengers will be able to benefit from medical and tourism services.”
Attendees at the meeting expressed their views and suggestions in this regard.
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