TEHRAN – Iranian tourism minister Ezzatollah Zarghami has called for closer ties between the Islamic Republic and Belarus. Launching direct flights and a visa simplification agreement were among the proposals offered by the minister.

“Any drop of barriers and conditions for travelers will help the development of tourism between Iran and Belarus, for example, dropping visa requirements to travel groups - similar to what Iran and Russia did - is a suitable step to facilitate tourism between Iran and Belarus,” Zarghami said.

He said Iran welcomes Belarusian tourists. “We welcome Belarusian tourists and are ready to organize special familiarization tours in order to introduce Iran’s tourism capacities.”

Loan and joint exhibitions, documentation of ancient properties, and sharing expertise on restoration, archaeology, and cultural heritage will be realms to develop tourism between the two countries, the minister said.

His comments came a day before the Iranian vice president’s visit to Belarus, which is scheduled for tomorrow.

Mohammad Mokhber, the first vice president of Iran, is set to arrive in Belarus for high-level talks with officials of the country. The visit will be done at the invitation of the Belarusian prime minister.

The Islamic Republic was one of the first actors to recognize the independence of Belarus and established diplomatic relations with the country on February 16, 1993. Subsequently, the Iranian ambassador to Ukraine was appointed as the accredited ambassador of Iran to Belarus.

According to Zarghami, Iran’s tourism growth has been three times higher compared to the global average in the post-Covid era. “The number of tourist arrivals has surged in the last two years due to the fact that we were facing some restrictions derived from the Corona pandemic,” he said last month. The minister, however, didn’t provide any detail on the number of international arrivals in the country.

Based on the latest United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) World Tourism Barometer, foreign tourist arrivals in Iran reached some 2.93 million between January and July 2023.

Although the country’s performance as a tourism destination is still far below that of 2019, which was before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is improving slightly compared to last year's statistics.

The average statistics of Iran’s tourism from January to August 2023 is 50% lower than the same period in 2019 based on the barometer that tracks the sector’s post-pandemic recovery throughout 2023 up to the end of July.

Another statistic compiled by Iran’s tourism ministry indicates the country saw 3.35 million tourist arrivals in the first half of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 21), which soars 38 percent year on year.

The Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, seeks a border-easing strategy based on which it may unilaterally drop visa requirements for passport holders of 60 states.

The Islamic Republic 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 27 are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

AFM