Tehran, Aug 20, IRNA - Governor of the Central Bank of Iran Valiollah Seif has said the development of tourism would help bring in more foreign currencies as part of non-oil economy.

Seif made the remarks in the Iranian capital on Thursday commenting on the capacity of Iran's tourism industry in an address to a gathering with the theme of 'Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism'.

Pointing to Iran's rich historical, diverse climate and ethnic variety, he stressed there are other opportunities in health and medical sectors to lure foreign tourists.

According to the head of the Iran Touring and Tourism Investment Company (ITTIC) Mohsen Gharib, Iran will face a �tsunami� of foreign tourists once sanctions on the country are lifted.

�Nearly 20 million foreign tourists will probably visit Iran within the next five years,� Gharbi has recently said.

Iran is among the world�s top 10 countries for archeological and cultural sites but it comes a dismal 132nd and 160th among 180 world countries in terms of tourism industry and revenues.

By IRNA