IRAN: Iran First Permanent Handicrafts Market opened

Iran’s first permanent handicrafts marketplace was inaugurated on Saturday in Oud Lajan historic neighborhood in downtown Tehran, aiming to liven up the once thriving locale that was home to merchants and affluent individuals.

Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Organization (CHTHO) Director Masoud Soltanifar along with several high-ranking officials with Tehran Municipality, Transport and Urban Development Ministry, and Tehran City Council attended the inauguration ceremony.

The successfully-implemented handicrafts market epitomizes the convergence of cultural heritage, tourism, and handicrafts in the country, Soltanifar asserted during a brief speech.

He also attached importance to the bazaar establishment as to it embodies a three-dimensional arrangement involving the CHTHO, Tehran Municipality, and the public.

The market is composed of some 50 shops whose renovation started in 2012.

Over the past couple of years, dozens of Iranian handicrafts have gained the UNESCO Seal of Excellence. For instance, in 2010, a total of 65 handicrafts on various themes including enamel, tile, metalwork, leatherwork, wood carving received the privilege.

Statistics compiled by the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran indicate that 2.8 million tons of handicrafts and handwoven carpets, worth $92 million, were exported during the first four months of the current Iranian calendar year, which began on March 20, 2016.

Oudlajan was an aristocratic region in Tehran during the Qajar era. It had many beautiful gardens and houses, including the House of Hassan Modarres, Malek-ol-Shoara’s Garden, Golestan Palace and the valuable Masoudieh Building.

This neighborhood has been registered on the National Heritage List and its monuments are expected to be protected, CHN reported.

Oudlajan, Sangalaj, Chaleh Meidan, Chaleh Hesar, Sar Poulak, Khaniabad, Qanatabad, Pachenar, Pamenar, Gar Mashin and the bazaar constituted the main texture of Tehran, when it was selected as the capital of the country during the Qajar reign.

Later, during the reign of Reza Shah, when Tehran was subjected to an imbalanced urban changes, parts of this neighborhood were completely destroyed, the most important of which was Sangalaj (current Park-e Shahr). It was considered an important political center of Tehran.

IRAN: Foreign Tourists Spend Billions In Iran

Masoud Soltanifar, head of Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, said that some five million foreign tourists visited Iran last year, spending at least 7.5 billion dollars.

"Currently, the country's income from tourism industry accounts for half a percent of the global revenue," Soltanifar said, adding that the government seeks to increase the figure to two percent by 2025, IRNA reported.

The senior official, who is also a deputy to the Iranian president, noted that Iran ranks 47th on the list of countries with highest tourist number, saying that given its tourist destinations, the country needs to attract some 20 million foreign visitors by 2025.

A New York Times report last month said tour operators in America have been speaking of a surge in bookings by many Americans who, undeterred by a State Department warning about travel risks to Iran, are keen on visiting the country.

Iranian officials said that the country's tourism sector aims to attract $30 billion by 2025.

Iran hosts some of the world's oldest cultural monuments, including 19 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and its varied terrain ranges from desert locales to ski resorts.

Iran tourism, however, reportedly suffers some deficiencies such as shortage of enough hotels and some financial restrictions for foreign money transfers.

Officials say hotel groups from Germany, Greece, South Korea and Singapore traveled to Iran last year for talks on hotel construction.

Europe's largest hotel group Accor has already built two four-star hotels at Imam Khomeini International Airport outside the capital, Tehran.

Also, the UAE-based Rotana plans to open a five-star 600-room hotel in Tehran and another in the city of Mashhad, which attracts millions of pilgrims each year.

ITALY: Finding Funds For Preservation Of Artistic And Cultural Heritage

Finding funds for the preservation of artistic and cultural heritage can be a challenge, especially when governments are more focused on financial stability and social policies. That is very much the case in Italy, where several historical places as well as famous frescos are being left to crumble, endangering the rich Italian cultural heritage contained in such places.

With a crippled economy and heavy international commitments to keep up with, it is in the hands of the Italian people to find the necessary funding in order to restore the many pieces and works of art which make up their cultural heritage, for which the country is famous worldwide. With this in mind, some new funding initiatives are surfacing in Italy, aiming at changing the people’s perspective on cultural funding.

One of the projects is a government initiative which takes the form of a law called Art Bonus, under which individuals, corporations and art patrons can receive 65% of the amount they donate to the cause as a tax bonus and tourism related organizations will pay 30% less if they invest in renovations or updates to their structures.

Another, even better set of news is that the most iconic world heritage sites such as the Coliseum, Trevi Fountain and other famous places are getting sponsored and endorsed by big, national and multinational corporations, who are contributing millions to the restoration and preservation of such iconic and historic places.

This great news, however, is dampened by the lack of investment in lesser known museums and artifacts, a situation the Italian government hopes will change in the wake of the new law. Investments in cultural heritage are already expected to be on the rise for 2016, which is a positive sign considering Italy is one percent behind the rest of Europe in the percentage of the GDP represented by cultural investment – Italy spends 1.2% of GDP, while European average is 2.2%.

Private efforts are also taking shape, one of which being upaperlacultura.org, the first non-profit Italian website which aims at matching corporations with cultural institutions and sites, in order to find suitable investors.

Another project, with a very different aim however, is LoveItaly!, which has set its sights on promoting Italian tourism internationally, through what they call "a series of transparently managed projects to help the future of Italy”, seeing as they believe the country’s cultural heritage is worth much more than its current tourism revenue.

The organization has proven its commitment to the cause by taking on two restoration projects so far through their crowdfunding website. This effort seems to be having an impact on government institutions as well, as the Pompeii cultural department has already promised to cover the difference between the amount raised for the restoration of The House of the Centaur and the sum needed to bring the project to life, if LoveItaly! fails to raise the full amount.

Furthermore, the organization has enlisted the help of prestigious hotels and organizations in order to provide further incentive to donors and the fact that such arrangements are in place is in itself a positive sign for the industry.

IRAN: Iran Anticipates A Flood Of Tourists

Iran's vice president said on Sunday his country is preparing for a "tsunami" of foreign tourists as Iran and world powers are set to begin implementing a landmark nuclear deal that will lift sanctions in return for curbs on Iran's nuclear program.

Masoud Soltanifar, who is also Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization chief, said President Hassan Rouhani's moderate policies and the easing of visa rules are opening the door for the return of foreign tourists to Iran.

A country rich in historical and cultural treasures, Iran will unveil an investment package of 1,300 projects in the coming days to attract foreign investment and boost the badly-hit tourism industry. Iran is home to 19 UNESCO-registered sites.

Even before sanctions are lifted, the number of foreigners visiting Iran has grown 12 percent in each of the past two years. In 2014, Iran hosted over 5 million tourists, bringing in some $7.5 billion in revenue.

About half were Shiite Muslims, the same religious denomination as most Iranians, and the other half were tourists from Europe, North America and east Asia.

"In the post-sanctions era, tourism is an industry that will get a boost more than any other sector," Soltanifar said. "Tourism is certainly the driving engine to get Iran's economy out of recession. Iran's tourism sector is a flourishing market for investors. We are anticipating a tsunami of tourists after sanctions are lifted."

But the U.S. State Department warns U.S. travelers to "carefully consider the risks of travel to Iran," advising Americans with dual Iranian citizenship in particular that they may encounter difficulty leaving the country. It says U.S. citizens may be subject to harassment or arrest while traveling in the country.

The country's Revolutionary Court has convicted Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian on charges including espionage without providing details on the verdict or sentence. Rezaian, who was detained in July 2014, has now been held longer than the 52 American diplomats and citizens who were held hostage in Iran for 444 days from late 1979 to early 1981.

Besides Rezaian, former Marine Amir Hekmati, who holds dual Iranian and American citizenship, was arrested in August 2011.

The U.S. has also asked for the Iranian government's assistance in finding former FBI agent Robert Levinson, who went missing in 2007 while working for the CIA on an unapproved intelligence mission.

Soltanifar, a member of Rouhani's Cabinet, said officials are trying to remove obstacles for tourists and issue visas on arrival at the airport in Tehran for nationals of 190 countries. They will be valid for 30 days, with the possibility of extending for another 15 days. Tourism authorities are also planning to issue electronic visas beginning next year, he said.

Americans and Brits traveling to Iran will need a visa ahead of time to enter mainland Iran, according to their respective governments. In 2014, there were 3,400 American visitors to Iran, up from 1,800 in 2013, Soltanifar said.

Iran aims to host 20 million tourists a year by 2025, with expectations of growing the tourist industry to $30 billion.

Currently, Iran lacks sufficient accommodation and transportation for that number of tourists. Iran has 1,100 hotels and guest houses, 130 of them 4 and 5 star hotels.

"We need to increase our four and five star hotels from 130 to 400 in 10 years. We are providing low-interest funds out of the National Development Fund to private investors to build modern hotels," Soltanifar said.

Iran needs more than 400 new passenger planes to compensate for shortages due to sanctions over the past three decades. Of its 250 passenger planes, 100 are currently grounded because of lack of spare parts. The remaining 150 aging aircraft need to be renovated.

"We need to renovate our air transportation system and buy new planes after sanctions are lifted. But this will be time-consuming," he added.

Iran has a history of air crashes in recent years, leading to hundreds of casualties. Last week, an Iranian passenger plane safely landed after part of an engine fell off during a flight with 426 passengers and crew members aboard.

Iran's constitutional watchdog, the Guardian Council, ratified into law this week a parliamentary bill implementing the landmark nuclear deal with world powers. The U.N. Security Council previously approved the deal on July 20 and U.S. Congress blocked efforts by Republicans to derail the accord in September.

Soltanifar, a moderate politician, welcomed investors and tourists from the U.S., known by hardliners as the "Great Satan."

"American tourists and investors are welcome. There is no obstacle or restrictions for them to visit Iran or invest in the country," he said.

France and the United Kingdom have relaxed travel advice for their citizens following the historic July nuclear deal. The U.K. reopened its embassy in Tehran in August after a four-year closure.

Last month, an Iranian firm signed an agreement with French hotel giant AccorHotels to use the Novotel and ibis brands for 15 years, the first deal of its kind in three decades.