According to the Public Relations and International Affairs of the Kish Free Zone Organization, the ceremony honoring Reporter’s Day was held at the Kish International Conference Center with the presence of media members and media activists, Mohammad Kabiri, CEO of the Kish Free Zone Organization, a number of deputies, CEOs of subsidiary companies and managers of this organization.
At this ceremony, Mohammad Hossein Hassani, Acting Deputy of Cultural, Social and Artistic Affairs of the Kish Free Zone Organization, referring to the demands raised by media activists about delegating the powers of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance to the free zones, said: follow-up on this issue began about a month ago and, given the views and suggestions raised, completing and refining the text of the delegation of powers, especially in the media domain, has been placed on the agenda.
He added: in this regard, dialogues and exchanges of opinion have been held with the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance and the related text is in rounds of review for examination and completion so that the media sector will be considered with more comprehensiveness and clarity and this process will reach a result in the shortest possible time.
Hassani also emphasized the importance of strengthening media trade associations and said: the House of Press is a suitable capacity for the organized pursuit of professional and trade issues of journalists and active participation of media practitioners can help strengthen and increase the effectiveness of this body.
The Acting Deputy of Cultural, Social and Artistic Affairs of the Kish Free Zone Organization noted: many trade issues of the media community can be pursued through the House of Press within a regular structure and strengthening this association can pave the way for more coherent communication between media activists and responsible sectors.
Seyed Hossein Ahmadnejad, Acting Director of Public Relations and International Affairs of the Kish Free Zone Organization, also commemorating Reporter’s Day and emphasizing the need to strengthen the relationship between the island’s management and the media community, said: the views, critiques and suggestions of journalists can be effective in identifying issues and improving the process of informing and communicating with public opinion, and the organization’s public relations pursues continuous interaction with media activists within this framework.
He, referring to the cooperation of Kish media at various times, added: the island’s journalists have played an effective role in accurately conveying information and maintaining calm in the public sphere under different conditions and challenges, and this cooperation, especially at times when accurate and reliable information is more important, is one of Kish’s important capacities.
Ali Hasanlou, Deputy of Tourism of the Kish Free Zone Organization, in this ceremony, while congratulating Reporter’s Day and appreciating the cooperation of media activists with the tourism sector, said: Kish media have always played an effective role in introducing the island’s tourism capacities and shaping a favorable image of this destination, and their cooperation in different periods deserves praise and appreciation.
Referring to the performance of Kish’s tourism sector last year, he added: after the 12-day war, Shahrivar was one of the busiest Shahrivars in the history of Kish in terms of hotel stays and this trend continued in Mehr and Aban as well; so that these three months, according to the recorded statistics in the Kish statistics system, registered significant records in hotel stays.
Hasanlou, stating that hotel stay statistics are among the most reliable indicators for evaluating the tourism situation, said: the experience of this period showed that with proper planning, cooperation of the sector’s activists and strengthening the destination’s image, the usual travel patterns to Kish can be changed and even during periods that traditionally fell into low-demand seasons, tourism boomed.
Hasanlou, emphasizing the need to protect the island’s reputation, stated: nothing in Kish is more valuable or precious than the Kish brand. A large part of the island’s economy, tourism and people’s livelihoods are linked to the credibility of this brand; therefore, protecting it is a shared responsibility among managers, the media, economic actors and citizens.
He called journalists and media activists the island’s main narrators and said: a significant part of tourists’ recognition of a destination is formed through narratives and images and what is published about Kish does not remain confined to the island; given Kish’s position and characteristics, it can be seen and heard at the national level and even beyond the country’s borders.
Hasanlou, also referring to the expansion of social networks and the increasing role of citizens in content production, said: today the public information space is not solely in the hands of official media and anyone can produce and publish content using a mobile phone; therefore, improving media literacy across society has become more important.
He added: publishing an image or a narrative, even about a small matter, can influence the formation of audiences’ perceptions of a destination; therefore, attention to the effects and consequences of content published about Kish is of special importance. Fortunately, professional media activists on the island, considering the various dimensions of issues, play an effective role in presenting a responsible and truthful narrative of Kish.
Hasanlou finally expressed gratitude for journalists’ cooperation with the tourism sector and expressed hope that this cooperation and synergy will continue in the path of introducing the island’s capacities, developing tourism and strengthening the Kish brand.