MNA � Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has appointed Ali Asghar Mounesan as the acting head of the newly-established Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts.

In a decree on Wednesday, Rouhani appointed Mounesan as the head of the new ministry. Mounesan was serving as the head of Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handcrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO); the organization which recently changed to a ministry.

The bill to form the new ministry was initially agreed upon by the lawmakers in the Iranian parliaments, followed by gaining the approval of the Guardian Council on August 5. Then it was signed into law on August 19 by President Rouhani.

To date, the tourism industry in Iran was run by the Cultural Heritage, Handcrafts and Tourism Organization, whose head was appointed by the president and has been holding the post of the vice-presidency.

The move has been taken in a bid to boost the tourism industry in Iran. As it has been announced by the government officials, the new ministry will focus its efforts largely on attracting tourists from neighboring and regional countries.