According to the Public Relations and International Affairs of the Kish Free Zone Organization, in a meeting attended by the CEO of the Kish Free Zone Organization with agents and operators of Kish Island tourist tours, the deputy of tourism of this organization, referring to the results of cooperation between the Kish Free Zone and the private sector last year, said: holding continuous consultative meetings with activists of various trades and using the viewpoints of the elders of this industry brought very good results and some of these achievements are visible in the statistics of tourist arrivals and stays.
Kish tourism breaks records with private sector cooperation
He added: last year, after the 12-day war, with continuous cooperation of the private sector in Shahrivar, Mehr and Aban 1404, the records for the same months in the history of Kish tourism were broken and we can certainly repeat this experience. This success was the result of a group collaboration and the agents and operators of tourist tours who are on the front line of tourists arriving on the island played an effective role in achieving it.
The decisive role of tour operators in tourist arrivals
Addressing the agents and operators of tourist tours, he said: you are the stakeholders and main active parties of this industry and the drivers of tourist arrivals to the island and your role is decisive in realizing tourism programs.
The deputy of tourism of the Kish Free Zone Organization listed reviewing current conditions, hearing suggestions and examining the demands of tourism activists as the main objectives of this meeting and added: professionals in this field have an accurate understanding of the country’s tourism conditions and we expect them to present their suggestions to strengthen tourism in Kish, the islands and other southern destinations of the country.
He continued: it is important for the Kish Free Zone Organization to know what programs the agents and tour operators propose, what actions they intend to take and what demands they have from this organization so that we can, within our authority, facilitate the implementation of the programs.
Hasanlou, referring to some coordination carried out on the island, stated: this year as well, programs have been designed for each of the three tourism development triangles of Kish, namely campaign and events, flight management and microloans. Last year’s loan will increase to 50 to 200 million. An annual campaign has also been designed and it will not be limited to summer, and the model of attracting tourists through events and exhibitions will continue to be pursued.
Joint program to strengthen southern tourism
The deputy of tourism of the Kish Free Zone Organization, referring to the importance of supporting tourism in the southern regions of the country, said: southern Iran tourism requires attention and joint planning and from the perspective of social responsibility we must also act to preserve and strengthen travel flows in these areas. That is, this time we intend to form a chain in southern tourism and not proceed alone.
He added: one of this year’s programs is designing a joint campaign with southern country tourism destinations so that in both stable and variable conditions it helps strengthen regional tourism.
The deputy of tourism of the Kish Free Zone Organization added: we expect national activists in this field to also present their suggestions about strengthening southern tourism, the appropriate approach for the islands and solutions to increase travel and to state their opinions regarding the organization’s role in facilitating these trips.
Three axes to strengthen Kish tourism
Hasanlou, referring to programs developed last year, said: three main axes were defined to strengthen tourism, the first axis being management of access to the island; an axis that includes the issue of flights and other routes of tourist entry.
He considered financing travel and providing facilities the second axis of this program and added: in the current economic conditions, travel may lose priority in household expenditures and the desire to travel does not necessarily lead to actual travel; therefore, designing loans and credit instruments can provide the ground for converting travel demand into real travel.
The deputy of tourism of the Kish Free Zone Organization described stimulating demand as the third axis of this program and said: stimulating demand is pursued through running advertising campaigns, holding attractive events and presenting a new narrative of Kish. Programs were planned for all three axes last year and this path will continue this year as well.
Hasanlou concluded, emphasizing the organization’s interactive approach: our goal is above all to hear the concerns, suggestions and demands of the agents and operators of tourist tours and with the cooperation and solidarity of the private sector, in addition to strengthening Kish’s position, to provide the ground for the formation of effective events in southern country tourism. The organization is also ready to play its facilitating role in the implementation of joint programs.
Emphasis on continuing joint meetings with tourism activists
In continuation of this meeting, Saeed Yekeh-Dehghan, Director of Marketing and Advertising of the Tourism Deputy of the Kish Free Zone Organization, emphasized the continuation of consultative meetings with tourism activists and following up on issues raised in these meetings.
He said: holding regular, periodic and purposeful meetings with tourism activists is one of the organization’s concerns. Although the developments and events of recent months did not allow us to immediately continue these meetings after the previous session, the organization is pursuing the regular holding of meetings and the results of the conversations held.
The Director of Marketing and Advertising of the Tourism Deputy of the Kish Free Zone Organization added: we hope that by following up on the issues raised and continuing the dialogue between the organization and activists in this field, in future meetings we will witness tangible results of these interactions and greater prosperity of the island’s tourism.
Yekeh-Dehghan, expressing appreciation for the presence of agents and operators of tourist tours and also noting the CEO of the Kish Free Zone Organization’s emphasis on holding these meetings, said: in the last session there was talk about planning for a special and different summer and tourism activists also, with their accompaniment and participation, played a role in shaping the developments in this field.
He concluded by emphasizing: continuing these meetings and following up on the issues raised can provide an effective path to strengthen interaction between the organization and tourism activists and achieve practical results in boosting Kish tourism.