TEHRAN – Domestic travelers in Iran will be required to show either proof of negative COVID-19 test or vaccination certificate as of Nov. 22.

“[Domestic] passengers who are not vaccinated [against coronavirus] should present negative PCR tests to be allowed to have rail, road or air travels as of Nov. 22.,” according to the Ministry of Transport and Urban Development.

So far, more than 70 percent of Iranians have received the first dose, and more than 47 percent have been fully vaccinated, as recently mentioned by the Food and Drug Administration.

Iranian tourism minister Ezzatollah Zarghami in September called on travel agencies and tour operators to design affordable packages aimed to jumpstart domestic tourism when COVID-19 is less of a major concern. “I have two recommendations and requests; one is to offer a variety of tour packages and the other is to design cheap packages [for domestic travels], and of course you have to help in this regard,” said the minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts.

The ancient land embraces hundreds of historical sites such as bazaars, museums, mosques, bridges, bathhouses, madrasas, mausoleums, churches, towers, and mansions, of which 26 are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

AFM