Malaysia urges tourism ties with Iran

Malaysia's Minister of Tourism Ng Yen Yen has called for the expansion of tourism ties with Iran, saying the Islamic Republic has high capacities in the tourism industry.

In a press conference at the end of a five-day trip to Iran, the Malaysian minister referred to her meeting with Head of Iran's Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization Hamid Baghai and said the two sides discussed ways to further expand tourism ties, IRNA reported Sunday.

She also said her visit to Iran was aimed at identifying common grounds and further introducing Malaysia to Iranians.

Representatives from 15 Malaysian travel agencies, five hotels, and two states also accompanied the Malaysian minister on her visit to Iran.

She noted that over 116,000 Iranians visited Malaysia in 2010, up by 14.3 percent compared to 2009.

Malaysia earned $16 billion from its tourism industry in 2010, when 24.6 million people visited the country, Yen Yen concluded.

(Source: Press TV)