Alireza Tabesh, CEO of the Welfare and Tourism Supply Company (HGT), emphasized the transformative nature of tourism in the first pre-session of the World Urban Tourism Forum, calling it "a dynamic and effective factor in the urban ecosystem."

While congratulating Iran on hosting this global forum, Tabesh considered it a valuable opportunity to promote the country's urban tourism and emphasized: "Tourism is inherently transformative, and unlike many static jobs, activists in this field are the cause of transformation and change in the fabric of cities."

He continued by referring to his experiences in recent years in holding platform-based events and gatherings of creative activists in the fields of heritage and tourism, and suggested that a collection of these projects and achievements be collected through a call for proposals before the forum and presented in the exhibition section of this global event.

Tabesh presented three specific suggestions for incorporating richer content into the official documents of the forum: first; forming urban coalitions for consensus and policy impact in urban tourism, second; documenting creative grassroots projects in the field of urban tourism, third; defining local indicators of justice in tourism that can be cited as a conceptual framework in future forums.

He highlighted the key role of NGOs and private sector organizations in the future of urban tourism, stating: “These institutions are at the forefront of change; they have the courage to design, they bring the voice of the local community to decision-makers, and the social capital of future tourism is built by them.”

Finally, the CEO of Hegata emphasized the need for networking between the Iranian private sector and international activists in the field of smart tourism, and called for a supportive platform to be foreseen in the exhibition section of the forum to provide initial capital for innovative top projects.

It is worth noting that the holding of the first UN Tourism Global Forum on Urban Tourism is the result of an official agreement between the Deputy Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts and the Secretary-General of UN Tourism, which was signed in Jakarta in April 2025. Based on this agreement, Tehran will host the first session of this forum in July 2025; an international event with the theme of "resilient, smart and sustainable" that provides an opportunity to showcase Iran's capacities and strengthen global cooperation in the field of urban tourism.