Iran is keen to boost tourism exchanges with Thailand, its ambassador said at event held to mark the Islamic Republic of Iran's National Day in Bangkok on Tuesday.
Nassereddin Heidari, the Islamic Republic's envoy in Bangkok, said over 50,000 Iranians visited Thailand as tourists last year, making the kingdom one of the most popular tourism destinations for its citizens. Iran would like to see that number increase further.
Tehran wants more Thai tourists visit Iran, so the embassy is planning to hold a number of promotional events to attract more Thais to visit the country, he said.
The government is also promoting Thailand as a tourism destination among Iranian holidaymakers.
Recently, he noted, the embassy held a tourism promotion event, which was attended by about 30 Thai tour agencies.
As this year marks the 70th anniversary of bilateral relations between Iran and Thailand, the Iranian embassy in Thailand and the Royal Thai Embassy in Tehran will organise events to commemorate the milestone, as well as promoting people-to-people exchanges.
Mr Nessereddin said the countries' relations actually date back to about four centuries ago, when Persian merchants and scholars came to then-Siam to explore new trade routes, bringing with them cultural influences, along with valuable goods.
"The kingdom of Thailand is a significant country for Iran. As a result, we are eager to enhance bilateral collaboration in cultural, political, and economic areas, including tourism," he added.
