Under the 2025 Tourism Vision Plan, the country is expecting to increase the number of tourism arrivals from 4.8 million in 2014 to 20 million by 2025. “The Iranian government is making every effort to use this opportunity to widen its relations with other nations and to boost Iran’s national and international power as well.”

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull have sent their congratulations to the China-Australia Year of Tourism 2017, which was officially launched in Sydney on Sunday. In his congratulatory message, Li said people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the Chinese and Australian people is one of the important pillars supporting the development of bilateral relations.

The much-lauded ‘Responsible Tourism’ (RT) initiatives have won further recognition with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) describing them as a model for other tourist destinations across the world. The international tourism organisation also called for development of closer ties between Kerala Tourism and the UNWTO, emphasising the importance of further association to help take forward the message of sustainable tourism.

Avcı will meet his Israeli counterpart Miri Regev before the opening of the trade show and will discuss culture and tourism cooperation between the two countries. He will also meet with representatives of the Turkish and Israeli tourism sector, in a bid to end the decline in the number of tourists from Israel. 

Nigerian investors are also present in the ICT sector and private business, with a target of expanding investments to tourism, telecommunication, cultural exchanges, and oil and gas. In other partnerships, Nigeria has been offering support to Rwanda in training of military personnel.

With six million Chinese tourists expected to travel abroad over the Lunar New Year break, China’s Jan. 27 to Feb. 2 holiday is crucial for Taiwan tour agency operator Li Chi-yueh, who relies on mainland visitors for a third of his revenue. [...] Though Tsai says Taiwan wants peace with China, Beijing suspects she seeks formal independence. “China uses its sightseeing tourists as a diplomatic weapon,” said Li. 

In a move that sounds convenient and a little terrifying, international travelers to Australia may not need a passport by 2020. Officials say that the country is implementing a system to replace the standard paper ID with biometric technology that recognizes faces, irises and/or fingerprints. If all goes to plan, passengers from other countries will arrive in Australia and walk directly out of the airport just like a domestic traveler.

The partnership was formed in August last year, after the third edition. “We have a large North Eastern community here. We wanted to support their effort to showcase their culture and, in the process, also showcase ours to them. We felt the event can be a cross-cultural exchange platform. Also, Bengaluru has been called the most dynamic city in the world.