IFP - A top French official has praised the tourism potentialities of Iran, saying that his country supports and encourages French tourists to visit the Islamic Republic.

French Secretary of State to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne made the remarks during his recent visit to Iran�s pavilion at the Top Resa travel and tourism exhibition in Paris.

He said Paris has always supported French tourists travelling to Iran as well as the development of the industry sector in the country.

The official said he was pleased to see Iran had attended the exhibit. He stressed that he liked Iran and had, so far, visited the country twice.

He said although he had travelled to Iran for business, he was well aware of the high tourism potential in the country.

The official underlined that Iran has the potential to take in several times as many foreign tourists as it is currently hosting every year.

[caption id="attachment_123007" align="alignnone" width="840"] French Secretary of State to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne visiting the Iranian pavilion at the Top Resa travel and tourism exhibition in Paris in Sept. 2018[/caption]

In the meantime, Iranian tourism official Masoud Dehqani said Lemoyne�s visit to Iran�s pavilion at the show was unexpected.

�Protocol-wise, none of his counterparts was present at the pavilion; however, he accepted our invitation to visit the pavilion, and this visit is very important from several perspectives, especially with regards to recent stances by France and other European countries in rejecting American policies on isolating Iran, especially at the UN Security Council summit,� said the Iranian official.

The 40th International Tourism Exhibition of France known as Top Resa was recently held in the French capital Paris.

The event is France�s most important tourism show and one of the world�s most prestigious tourism fairs.

Thanks to efforts by the Iranian Touring & Automobile Club, 15 tourism companies from Iran attended this year�s edition.

[caption id="attachment_123008" align="alignnone" width="900"] Iran�s pavilion at the 40th International Tourism Exhibition of France known as Top Resa, September 2018[/caption]