Official highlights Isfahans potential as West Asia medical tourism hub
Official highlights Isfahan’s potential as West Asia medical tourism hub
TEHRAN - Isfahan has the capacity to become a medical tourism hub not only in Iran but across West Aisa, a provincial tourism official said on Wednesday.
Davoud Abian, deputy head of the Isfahan province Department of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, told IRNA on Wednesday that the province’s infrastructure supports such a goal.
“Isfahan has the ability to become a hub for medical tourism at the Middle East level,” Abian said.
He cited 35 active hospitals, a health complex, accommodation centers, five-star hotels, specialized clinics and medical equipment as key assets. He said similar capacity does not exist elsewhere in the country.
Abian said familiarization tours, known as fam tours, have been defined to introduce the province’s tourism capacities, particularly in the medical and health tourism sectors.
He said representatives of tourism offices from Basra, Iraq, traveled to Iran last week despite recent unrest in some areas, which he described as a sign of regional cooperation potential.
Due to flight restrictions, the province is currently focusing on neighboring and friendly countries as well as Isfahan’s sister cities, the official noted.
He added that negotiations and memorandums of understanding are under way with countries including Oman, Kuwait and Uzbekistan, with the Foreign Ministry involved in the process.
Abian said that once conditions in the country fully stabilize, additional fam tours will be organized to further promote Isfahan. Influencers from Iraq’s Dhi Qar, Basra and Sulaymaniyah provinces are expected to participate.
He also said plans are being made to hold roadshows under the title “Isfahan Cultural Nights” in Basra and in a city in Turkey to promote the province’s tourism attractions.
Abian said the focus is not on well-known attractions but on what he called the province’s “hidden treasures,” including Khur and Biabanak county, which offers accommodation facilities, and the Mosha’jari Caravanserai.
The Mosha’jari Caravanserai, located 50 km from the city of Anarak in Nain county, dates back to the Qajar era. Abiyan said the complex covers 175,000 hectares and includes what he described as the largest private conservation area in Iran and West Aisa.
“Our effort is to introduce these capacities in a targeted manner and use them in the development of the province’s tourism,” Abian said.
According to available data, Isfahan province has more than 22,000 historical sites, including 1,940 nationally registered sites and 15 UNESCO-listed properties. The province also has more than 600 historical houses and various natural, cultural, religious and recreational attractions, making it one of Iran’s tourism centers.
Experts believe that medical tourism in the Islamic Republic is a win-win opportunity both for the country and foreign patients, as they are offered affordable yet quality treatment services and the country gains considerable foreign currency.
Credible surgeons and physicians, cutting-edge medical technologies, high-tech medicine, diverse specializations, super affordable procedures, and finally hospitable people constitute Iran’s trump cards to be a major hub for medical tourism.
There are many special hospitals in the country that offer a wide variety of services such as eye surgeries and services, cardiovascular surgeries especially pediatric heart surgery, bone marrow transplantation, gynecologic and obstetric surgery, oncologic services, cerebrospinal surgery, orthopedic surgery (total knee & total hip replacement, etc.), and urologic surgery, to name a few.
The Islamic Republic has set goals to exceed its yearly medical travelers to around €6 billion, according to a new policy document approved and announced by the government.
AM
source: tehrantimes.com