Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 18
By Khalid Kazimov – Trend:
According to World Economic Forum’s biennial report Iran has preserved its topmost global rank in the “price competitiveness” category but its Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index has not satisfied the expectations yet.
Although the country has jumped four positions in the 2017 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index, it still lags behind many international and regional rivals placing 93rd among 136 countries.
According to the report, international tourist arrivals in the country in 2016 stood at 5.237 million with $3.483 billion international tourism inbound receipts.
Iran’s travel and tourism industry contributed a total of $10.1 billion to the local economy in 2016, equivalent to 2.5 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
In the meantime, the industry supported over 476,000 jobs in the country or 1.9 percent of the national employment.
Iran enjoys rich cultural heritage and beautiful nature with a wide range of tourist attractions, including 19 UNESCO-registered sites, as well as deserts and ski resorts.