Iran, Safest Country In Mideast: German Tourist

Berlin, March 11, IRNA -- Iran is the safest country in the volatile Middle East region, according to a German tourist. Andrea Roeschke who has authored a book on Iranˈs tourist attractions told IRNA on the just-concluded ITB tourism fair in Berlin that the Islamic Republic is currently the most secure country in the Middle East amid the ongoing political turmoil in many Arab countries. Iran is like a ˈfortressˈ in light of the continued unrest in the Arab world, Roeschke said. Whenever I visit Iran, I feel very safe, especially as a woman. Even when my husband and me travel alone in Iran, we feel secure. We had no problems, we could go anywhere we wanted, she reiterated. Roeschke stressed that a lasting impression of her Iran visits was the warmth and heartiness of the Iranian people. We went on a trip to Oman. There, the people are nice too but the Iranians have the warmth and heartiness. Thatˈs the difference between the Arab countries and Iran, she said. Roeschke added that unlike the bazaars in the Arab countries, when one wanders through the bazaar in Iran, you never feel like being bothered by pushy merchants who are trying desperately to sell their products. I hope Iranians will maintain this mentality, even when more foreign tourists come to Iran, she emphasized. Roeschke has been actively campaigning among Germans by showing films and writing about Iranˈs tourist attractions, to go and visit the country. When Germans see my films about Iran, they tell me how beautiful the country is and that Iran is quite different from what the media tell them, she said. There has been so much negative propaganda about Iran but I want that Iran is always seen positively, Roeschke added./end