Baku, Azerbaijan, June 1
By Elnur Baghishov– Trend:
The decrease in the number of Iranians traveling abroad due to the increase in the prices of foreign currency is a positive situation, Iranian MP Mehrdad Baouj Lahouti told the Iranian parliament's website, Trend reports.
According to him, the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran can take advantage of this opportunity to keep foreign currency in the country.
The Iranian MP added that many Iranians who traveled to other countries have not traveled enough around Iran and have not gotten to get properly acquainted with the country's tourist attraction.
"Previously, due to foreign currencies being cheaper, many unnecessary trips were being made. Official delegations traveling abroad could have been organized considerably smaller. But with the rise in the prices of foreign currency, these visits are being organized more carefully," he said.
Nearly 660,000 Iranians traveled to foreign countries during the first month (March 21-April 20) of the current Iranian year (started March 21, 2019). However, this figure stood at approximately 874,000 during the same period of the previous Iranian year(started March 21, 2018), which shows a 25-percent drop in the number of Iranian tourists traveling abroad.
The Iranian rial experienced devaluation in late summer of last year. As such, the price of $1 went up from 35,000 rials to 220,000 rials. Although the price of the dollar decreased later, it currently stands at around $135,000 rials.