Austrian official says Iran has a unique collection of tourist attractions

Alexander Rieger, deputy ambassador and cultural affairs officer at the Austrian Embassy in Tehran, referring to his numerous trips to various parts of Iran in different seasons, described Iran as a beautiful land with an incredible array of natural beauties with ample of historical and cultural tourist attractions.

He said in an exclusive interview , on the sidelines of the nature-focused Sustainable Tourism Symposium held last Wednesday at the University of Science and Culture.

He referred to Iran-Austria Roadmap and considered the Working Group and the tourism Symposium within the framework of this Roadmap to promote cultural-scientific relations between the two countries.

Former President of the Republic of Austria Heinz Fischer traveled to Iran in September 2015 at the head of a delegation accompanied by members of Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Economy and the Deputy Chancellor of Iran, where the Austrian-Iranian Roadmap was presented.

Rieger stressed that information on tourism and science was exchanged between officials of the two countries at the Working Group and the Sustainable Tourism Symposium, organized by the Austrian Embassy and in collaboration with the University of Science and Culture.

He added that Austria put its experiences in the field of tourism at Iran's disposal, and the two sides reached agreements to expand tourism cooperation.

The diplomat emphasized that the tourism symposium would not only enhance contacts and visits between officials of the two countries, but would also improve the performance of travel agencies, tourism travel guides and other relevant agencies in the field of tourism.

The cultural affairs officer of the Austrian Embassy in Tehran also dismissed the negative reports of some Western media outlets about Iran, saying that to get a true picture of any country, one must first study and get acquainted with it and its people.

He believes that media reports cannot be relied upon to understand a nation or a country properly and that this requires studying and viewing the facts.

The Symposium on Sustainable Tourism was held at Tehran University of Science and Culture during September 25-26.

The ambassador and other officials and experts at the Austrian Embassy in Tehran participated in the symposium and discussed with Iranian officials and experts in tourism industry.