TEHRAN – Iranian tourism minister Ali-Asghar Mounesan on Saturday proposed the government to announce days off after the country overcomes the coronavirus crisis in a bid to help the battered tourism sector make a rebound.

The minister also detailed on Iran’s tourism, noting that the budding industry has been suffered several times over the past years from various upheavals including the U.S. sanctions aimed to cripple Iran’s economy, flash floods in March 2019, which is a high season for domestic travels, the [mistakenly] downing of a Ukrainian jetliner in January, and ultimately the coronavirus pandemic in the country.

Mounesan said that that recession has dramatically lowered foreign arrivals in the country despite its previous successes came from several visa facilitation programs with target countries amongst other initiatives. 

Some 6.7 million foreign nationals visited Iran during the first nine months of the past Iranian calendar year, ended on March 19, according to data announced by Foreign Ministry’s visa and passport department. Iran welcomed some 7.8 million foreign nationals a year earlier, achieving a 52.5 percent increase year on year.

The ancient land embraces hundreds of historical sites such as bazaars, museums, mosques, bridges, bathhouses, madrasas, mausoleums, churches, towers, and mansions, of which 22 being inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Under the 2025 Tourism Vision Plan, the country aims to increase the number of tourist arrivals from 4.8 million in 2014 to 20 million in 2025.

AFM/MG