Tourism or travel is one of the most profitable industries, and despite having abundant natural resources and God-given wealth, most countries in the world still make great efforts to expand this industry in their own country.

Despite the fact that the tourism industry generates significant income for countries, what makes it even more important is the “cultural impact” resulting from the comings and goings of tourists from different countries, which increases the level of awareness of the citizens of the destination country through these arrivals and exchanges of culture. For example, the United States, which receives the highest number of tourists annually, is the wealthiest country in the world and its income from oil and arms industries alone is enough to keep it as the richest country in the world. Nevertheless, this country has invested so much in the tourism industry that it ranks first in income from this industry, even though it does not have significant historical sites. Therefore, it becomes clear that in addition to income and employment for American citizens, its cultural effects are also of great importance.

Let’s not go far; if we look at our neighboring countries like Turkey or our neighbors on the southern coasts of the Persian Gulf, we find that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman, in addition to having oil resources and therefore abundant wealth, have also not neglected the tourism industry. This is while these countries – except for Turkey – do not have famous historical sites and attractions.

The question here is why, despite having numerous, unique and exceptional historical monuments, as well as a diverse and incredibly beautiful nature, Iran cannot take advantage of all these great material and cultural capacities?

Why is the tourism industry in Iran, which can utilize its unparalleled capacities in the field of job creation and generating huge revenues and reach high ranks, still very weak in this sector and in fact, in comparison to its capacities in our country, is moving towards bankruptcy?

“Some ‘incompetent managers’ in this field, which are one of the main reasons for the weakness of the tourism industry, try to cover up their weaknesses and in response to this question say: Because Western tourists are looking for debauchery and alcoholic beverages and such conditions are not available for them in Iran; for these reasons, they do not travel to our country. Yes, a small percentage of Western tourists may also be looking for these things on their trips, but the majority of real tourists have a desire to see the ancient monuments and natural landscapes of Iran, as our country is one of the few in the world where you can go to the sea and swim in the winter and go skiing in the summer, and the distance between these places is only an hour and a half flight. A professional tourist, who is actually not looking for the things mentioned, needs peace, comfort, welfare, and security for their trip. Are there standard and up-to-date hotels with average costs in

When the answer to most of these questions is negative, how can we expect the tourism industry to expand in the country? Look at Turkey! At least when you do not have enough information and awareness about a topic, use successful models of others. Turkey has not only become one of the tourism hubs in the region and even the world, but also, in addition to earning abundant income, has successfully reduced the unemployment rate of this country to a very high level through employment generated by this industry.

This policy has been implemented with great precision in the countries surrounding the Persian Gulf, and the citizens of these countries have benefited from the benefits of proper measures taken by their country’s officials. For this reason, the “culture of hospitality” is also taking root in these countries; countries that, even if they do not have a dollar of income from the tourism industry, will not have much impact on their economy and people’s livelihoods.

Finally, it must be noted that “economic and political stability” is also one of the main factors in the success of the tourism industry in all countries. A country where the exchange rates of major global currencies, gold, real estate, energy carriers, and stock indices are constantly changing is not a desirable destination for tourists; even if it has ancient historical sites dating back five thousand years and accessible pristine nature.

In order for the tourism industry to grow and generate income in the country, officials must fundamentally change their mindset and way of thinking, as the measures they have taken so far have only caused harm, damage, and discredit for the country. If the development of this industry is important to officials, it is enough for them to pay attention to the performance of neighboring countries, whose tourism capacities are much lower than ours, but their material and cultural successes are greater than ours, and learn from their experiences.