The opening ceremony of Ardabil, the Tourism Capital of ECO, was held from 26 to 28 April 2023 in the Ardabil province, Iran.
On Thursday, April 27, 2023, the opening ceremony was held in the Fadak Cultural and Art Complex in Ardabil with the presence of the Minister of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism, the Governor of Ardabil, the Secretary General of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), the ambassadors of the ECO member countries, the president of the ECO Cultural Institute, the ambassadors of Serbia and China, the representative of the Romanian Embassy, the representative of the people of Ardabil in the Parliament of Iran, along with tourism experts from the Secretariat, ECO Cultural Institute, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Tourism, and the high officials of Ardabil province.
Mr. Ezzatullah Zarghami, Minister of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism of Iran, Mr. Khusrav Noziri, the Secretary General of ECO and Seyyed Hamed Ameli, Governor of Ardabil delivered speeches at this event. At this ceremony, Azerbaijani music and youth folklore dances, along with a program for collecting honey were performed.
The presentation of the ECO Tourism Capital symbol by the Secretary General of ECO to the Governor of Ardabil is considered an important section of this event.
Noteworthy to mention that in the third meeting of the Ministers of Tourism of the ECO member countries, which took place in the city of Khujand, Tajikistan in 2021, Ardabil was chosen as the Tourism Capital of ECO in 2023.
The delegation of ambassadors and foreign representatives visited the Fandgolou, Gardane Heyran, the world complex of Sheikh Safiuddin Ardabili tomb, Sarein city, along with the exhibition of handicrafts of Jafar Abad village and Moghan agriculture and industry and found these tourism areas extremely pleasing.