By Micah Halpern
I've Been Thinking:
Yesterday I wrote about the Russian defense minister's visit to Iran. Today I want to tell you about the visit of Wang Yi, the Chinese foreign minister, to Iran.
Iran wants Chinese tourists.
The Iranians just concluded a huge tourism fair and China was there for the second year. If Iran can woo Chinese tourists they can profit exponentially. Since the movement to lift sanctions began nearly a year ago, Iran has been investing in convincing Chinese leadership and tourists to come and visit.
Iran has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in improving their hotels and in creating a tourism infrastructure. They hope to lure 3.5% of the traveling Chinese tourists to Iran.
Several universities have started offering Chinese language courses.
But most importantly, the Iranians have streamline the visa process to less than 48 hours for a 6 day visa which can then be extended to 30 days upon arrival.
There are now direct flights between Iran and China three times a week. This will make vacation travel much easier and it will also make business trips much easier for the Chinese. An automatic outgrowth of the improved travel and the streamline visa process is that many more Chinese companies and investors will arrive in Iran to evaluate the potential risks and growth.
These are very good signs - for Iran.
Micah@MicahHalpern.com
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