Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (WTO) Zurab Pololikashvili on Tuesday stressed the need for cooperation with Iran to help promote tourism industry.

In a meeting with Iran’s Ambassador to Spain Hassan Qashqavi, he explored the ways for promoting cooperation between Iran and WTO in tourism sector.

Qashqavi elaborated on Iran’s strategic policies in the field of tourism and creating facilities for attracting and easing visit of tourists to Iran.

Referring to the measure taken to boost tourism cooperation between Iran and Spain, he said that holding cultural and civilizational exhibitions and Iranian companies’ active presence in the Tourism Exhibition Fitur in Madrid were among them.

WTO chief, for his part, hailed Iran’s tourism attractions, saying that the entity is ready for contributing to development of the industry.

Earlier in a meeting with the head of Iran Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, the issue of establishing handicrafts academy as the first in the world was discussed.

In a related front, Head of Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Handicrafts and Tourism Organization Ali Asqar Mounesan announced in late October that the country’s tourism industry has shown a 51% growth in the first six months of the current (Iranian) year (started on March 21).

He added that the arrival of foreign tourists in the first six months of the year rose 51% compared to the same period last year, despite the US embargoes against the country.

Mounesan said that a total of 5,100,000 foreign tourists arrived in the country last year, and if this year’s trend continues, it will reach to about seven million foreign tourists.

Iran is one of the most beautiful countries in the world with a 2500-year-old civilization, a country that is the destination of millions of foreign tourists each year.

Tourist attractions, legendary towns, recreational centers and a delicious cuisine are only a small part portion of the great features of this country.

The most visited cities of Iran include Kish Island, Isfahan, Shiraz, Mashhad and northern cities. Due to the popularity of these cities, tourists have numerous tourist attractions and various entertainment venues, delicious food and rich culture in Iran.

Many tourists from different countries have admitted in many sites and books that Iranian cuisine surprises them and are ready to come back to Iran only to repeat the pleasure of eating. From barbecue and various types of sours and soups and dishes from different cities to various Iranian desserts, all are so famous to the world that the telegraph magazine as well as FOOD REPUBLIC have published a list of several delicious and popular Iranian food.

The most delicious Iranian dishes include:  Ghormeh Sabzi, Dizi, Zereshk Polo Morgh, Kabab, Pottage and Gheimeh.