TEHRAN - Venezuela has added Iran to its safe travel list as the Islamic Republic experiences very low COVID-19 levels.

Iran has been added to the list of countries authorized for commercial passenger and cargo flights, Aviacionline reported on Friday.

Nations with permitted air operations in Venezuela also include Panama, Russia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Turkey, Cuba, Bolivia, Spain, Portugal, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (an island country in the Caribbean), the aviation media outlet said.  

Furthermore, Venezuela’s National Institute of Civil Aeronautics (INAC) has recently announced new mandatory entry regulations for entry to Venezuela by air. These provisions will be effective as of May 30.

According to the INAC, a certificate of vaccination (complete scheme) against COVID-19 is required in a physical or digital format with a QR code or other validation method, whose last dose was at least 14 days before the date of entry into the country.

Having completed more than 270 days after the last dose of the complete scheme, a booster dose will be required. The passenger who does not present the referred vaccination schedule must show a negative result of a molecular test (PCR-RT) with a maximum validity of 72 hours upon arrival. Upon arrival, all passengers exceeding five years old must take the PCR-RT test at the airport.

Last November, Iran’s deputy minister of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism Ali-Asghar Shalbafian met Venezuela’s Tourism and Foreign Trade Minister Ali Padron Paredes and exchanged views on the expansion of ties.

Shalbafian stated widening cooperation with Venezuela is high on the agenda for the Islamic Republic as he briefed Iran’s efforts focusing on both the coronavirus and post-pandemic eras.

Both officials acknowledged that their approach was to expand tourism ties and strengthen interactions to control the pandemic impact on the tourism industry.

Iran expects to reap a bonanza from its numerous tourist spots 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