Samiollah Hosseini Makarem added that in terms of quality, Iran’s handicrafts ranks the first in the world. However, he regretted that the industry suffers some problems for exporting its products.
He said since about 70% of foreign tourists visit Iran's historical and cultural monuments, performance of the handicrafts marketplaces is among top priorities of the ICHTO.
He noted that while hotels in Shiraz and Isfahan have a high employment coefficient, pilgrimage tourism especially for the Shiite Muslims in the Persian Gulf countries is a target.
He added the Central Asian and East Asian neighboring states such as China are among target groups for cultural interaction and communication.
Meanwhile, the official noted that one of the achievements of the government of President Hassan Rouhani was the return of three historical consignments to Iran which was made possible in light of legal efforts and interactions.
He added, 349 pieces of antiques were given back to Iran from Belgium. The official said it was an unprecedented event in the history as those objects were kept in Belgium for more than 50 years.
He added another 108 antique pieces were returned from a center for Orient studies in the University of Chicago.
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