Iran attends tourism managers’ CICA meeting

Tehran, IRNA – Chairpersons of tourism organizations of the member states of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) have taken part in a virtual meeting hosted by Tajikistan. The participants, including a representative from Iran, discussed the outlook of expanding cooperation in terms of tourism industry, calling for enhancement of coordination among member states of the CICA in the meeting hosted by Dushanbe, capital city of Tajikistan. The committee of development of tourism industry in Tajikistan said that top managers of the tourism agencies from Iran, Palestine, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, China, Iraq, Jordan, Thailand, Turkiye, Secretariate of the CICA and Tajikistan took part in the assembly. The partakers called for expansion of collaborations in tourism industry among CICA member states especially following the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing the need for joint efforts to rejuvenate the industry via exchanging tourists among the member states. The CICA states also agreed upon supporting the tourism industry and providing each other with reciprocate backings. In the event, the member states of the CICA reviewed new methods to provide services regarding tourism industry in order to find ways to overcome challenges. Chi Fang, Deputy Executive Director of CICA Secretariat, expressed gratitude to Tajikistan for hosting the important event in tourism industry, which is one of the main economic sectors that has been affected severely by the pandemic. She stressed the importance of promoting sustainable tourism in the region, creating job opportunities for locals, enhancing mutual understanding and friendship among people as well as preserving natural and cultural heritage of tourism destinations. The CICA has 27 member states and 12 observers, including some international organizations such as the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Arab League as well as countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan, Ukraine and the United States. Iran, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, South Korea, China, Russia, India, Palestine, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan Republic and Thailand are among the main member states of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia. The idea of convening the CICA was first proposed by Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev on 5 October 1992, at the 47th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. Asia Plus reported that tourism organizations from Iran, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan signed more than 50 memoranda of understanding in a regional tourism development assembly, which was held in Dushanbe on November 12. Follow us on Twitter @IrnaEnglish