Source: Tehran Times; photos by Islamic Republic News Agency
Iran hosted around 320 tour guides from about 40 countries in the 17th World Federation of Tour Guides Association (WFTGA) Convention. The event took place from January 28 to February 1, 2017 in Tehran.
On Jan. 31 meeting the new WFTGA executive board was elected for a 2-year term.
For the first time a tour guide from Iran became member of WFTGA executive
board. Mohsen Hajisaeid the vice president of Iran Federation of Tourist Guide
Associations (IFTGA) was elected to the WFTGA executive board.
Meanwhile, Georgia was voted to play host to the next edition of the convention
in 2019.
During the 5-day event in Tehran, the guests visited some historical sites like
the National Museum, the Carpet Museum, Golestan Palace, Sa'ad Abad Palace, and
Azadi Square. They also went to Tabiat Bridge, Farahzad tea houses, and Grand
Bazaar of Tehran.
Some workshops were held on the sidelines of the event to introduce more the
country to foreign tour guides.
Before and after the convention, special tours were planned.
In the 3-day pre-convention tour around 160 guests visited the historical cities
of Qazvin, Zanjan, and Hamedan, enjoying traditional foods, handicrafts, and
also folk music.
Sa'd al-Saltaneh Caravanserai and the connected corridors in capital of
calligraphy, got them to the ancient time. In Hamedan they experienced pottery
and they became familiar with Avicenna the traditional Iranian medicine.
Shiraz, Yazd, Meybod, Isfahan and Kashan hosted 250 tour guides after the
convention. They flew by an airplane which Meraj airline decorated with the
Convention logo and "Sustainable Tourism for Development" in order to that World
Tourism Organization (UNWTO) announced 2017 is the International Year of
Sustainable Tourism for Development.
In Shiraz they were welcomed officially in front of Karim Khan Citadel. They
knew the most famous Persian poems and they visited Persepolis, the magnificent
historical site that they expected.
They flew from Shiraz to Yazd, that's mean they started this air path. The
traditional hotels of Yazd city made a wonderful experience for them. The rare
snowy weather excited them in a city in desert. You could watch their happy
faces when they climbed up to visit inside of Silence Tower (Dakhmeh); Jean
Philip from Canada said: "Iran is the best country in the world".
Through the way from Yazd to Isfahan, the municipality of Meybod prepared a
different program to send the main message of this the 17th WFTGA Convention and
the gathering of Tourist guides from different countries. The guests made a card
stunt; "Peace Ambassadors" in ancient Castle (Narin Qaleh).
The Isfahan tour guide association welcomed the guests in one of Abbasid
Caravanserai in Kuhpayeh city. The foreign tourist guides had heard about
Isfahan and they couldn't wait more to visit the "half of the word".
Stanislav Voleman, member of the executive board of CR Guides Association (Czech
Republic) about his experience said:
"In addition of beautiful places I like people. In Yazd the old part of city is
interesting and the fire temple also, but I think they should insist on the
desert and its stories. They will have some problems with mass tourism so they
should organized luxury tourism."
"Tehran is interesting first because of young people and then because of variety
from high mountain to plain."
Monday 6 Feb at noon they went to visit Fin Garden, Historical houses and Sialk
mound as a sample of ancient residential site.
They went by train so it's interesting that in this trip they experienced roads
travel, airplane and train.
Sebastian from Austria said: I come back and I want to rent a car and travel by
myself because I like to be with Iranian people.
Related Photos:
Tour guides visit to Isfahan
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Tour guides visit to Shiraz
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Tour guides visit to Persepolis ancient ruins
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Tour guides visit to
Narin Fort in Yazd
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