Issues regarding the expansion of tourism and investment interaction between Iran and Pakistan were discussed at a meeting between the head of the Iranian Social Insurance Tourism Group (HEGTA) and the Iranian Commercial Advisor in Pakistan.
The meeting at HEGTA on Sunday evening gathered Alireza Tabesh, CEO of HEGTA, and Morad Nemati, Iran's Commercial Advisor in Pakistan. The main focus was on opportunities to strengthen tourism ties and facilitate investments between the two countries.
Tabesh emphasized the historical, cultural, and religious ties between the neighboring countries, noting that the shared heritage serves as a foundation for developing cultural, as well as tourism and investment contacts.
He stressed the need to utilize the Pakistani market more actively and proposed developing diverse inbound tour packages for various visitor categories, including families, scholars, traders, and businessmen.
These packages could cover pilgrimage, wellness, nature, scientific, industrial, cultural, and business tourism, offering numerous destinations across Iran, as he reported.
Tabesh added that reciprocal tours and Familiarization Trips (FAM trips) could be a starting point for better understanding the Pakistani market, developing tourism programs, and increasing tourist arrivals from Pakistan.
During the meeting, the application of targeted advertising and marketing in Urdu and English, as well as the use of artificial intelligence tools alongside traditional marketing and personal negotiations for more effective coverage of the Pakistani market, was also reviewed.
For his part, Nemati highlighted the importance of utilizing existing bilateral memorandums and agreements to expand tourism cooperation and strengthen ties between the private sectors of Iran and Pakistan.
He also noted HEGTA's potential in establishing contacts with Pakistani business and tourism operators and leveraging existing capacities to attract tourists and investors.
Participants also discussed expanding air routes, removing travel barriers, and simplifying the implementation of inbound tours, particularly emphasizing the need to transform existing potential into practical and implementable programs.
Agreement was reached on promoting several projects that could yield tangible results while simultaneously utilizing the potential of the private sectors of both countries more broadly.