Iranian ministry holds welcoming ceremony for visiting Chinese tourists

TEHRAN, April 11 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism held a ceremony in the Iranian capital of Tehran on Tuesday to welcome Chinese tourists visiting the country.

The ceremony, held at the Saadabad Cultural and Historical Complex, was attended by Chinese Ambassador to Tehran Chang Hua and Ali Asghar Shalbafian, deputy Iranian minister of cultural heritage, handicrafts and tourism for tourism affairs.

In an address to the ceremony, Chang said China and Iran enjoy traditional friendship and their comprehensive strategic partnership has been developing steadily in recent years.

Noting that Iran is an ancient civilization with abundant tourism resources, Chang said he hopes that the two countries will further enhance cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

For his part, Shalbafian welcomed the Chinese tourists and assured them of being able to experience unique historical tourist attractions, rich museums, and exciting natural scenery during their stay in Iran.

In addition, the tourists would also have the opportunity to experience Iran's most important feature, which is its people's hospitality, he said.

Shalbafian also encouraged Chinese tourists to talk with Iranian people and share with their friends, relatives, and acquaintances whatever they find attractive and distinctive about Iran.