Croatian Tourism Minister Darko Lorencin, who was on an official visit to Iran, held talks with Iranian Vice-President and head of Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organisation (ICHTO), Masoud Soltanifar, as well as with executives of Mahan Air, a private airline based in Tehran, on plans to establish a direct airline service between the two countries, according to a press release issued by the Croatian tourism ministry on Wednesday.
Lorencin informed his Iranian hosts of possibilities for investment in Croatia's tourism and of the implementation of a tourism development strategy.
The minister underscored that Croatia is promoting the importance of halal norms in Croatian hotels and that his country is offering services in accordance with the religious beliefs of Muslim tourists.
The Iranian hosts acquainted Lorencin with Iran's commitment to environment friendly tourism and its promotion of medical and cultural tourism.
In recent years, Iran's annual revenues from the tourist trade have been about one billion dollars, and the tourism sector generates 1.8% of jobs in that Asian country.
In recent years, 235 hotels and other hospitality amenities have been built in Iran, according to the press release.
Soltanifar, who invited Lorencin to visit Iran, confirmed his arrival in Rovinj, Croatia to attend the 100th meeting of the executive council of the World Tourism Organisation, set for late May.
(Hina) ms