TEHRAN – The Iranian government has agreed to abolish visa requirements for passport holders from 32 countries, the tourism minister has said.

“The Ministry of Tourism’s proposal to cancel visas for some countries has been approved by the government,” Ezzatollah Zarghami told reporters on the sidelines of the government session on Wednesday.

“The unilateral cancellation of visas, in line with priorities set by the ministry, was ratified today in the government session.”

“The government intends to open the country's doors to the world…. And this decision is both courageous and deliberate by the government.”

The official welcomed that border-easing policy and said: “We have dealings with the people of the world, and this unilateral visa cancelation is essentially communicating with the global community.”

“The Islamic Republic has shown its readiness to open doors to people worldwide and provide more facilities for them so that they can easily visit our country and benefit from its advantages.”

The scheme is expected to usher in a new era of tourism development for Iran; a new chapter of prosperity and tourism development that puts an end to negative propaganda and Iranophobia.

“The decision helps foil negative advertisements, rumors, and fear-mongering about Iran,” Zarghami said.

“For years, the European Union has established integration in the field of communications and tourism through the Schengen visa. Recently, Persian Gulf countries have also defined visas for themselves. It is commendable that this government, with prudence and courage, is taking such measures using the importance of tourism,” Zarghami emphasized.

He added, “I stress tourism because our perspective is that tourism is the right of all people worldwide, and Iran, in terms of historical significance, nature, ecotourism, hospitality, and health tourism, is one of the most scenic countries.

The visa-waiver program was reportedly approved for India, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Indonesia, Brunei, Japan, Singapore, Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brazil, Peru, Cuba, Mexico, Bolivia, Venezuela, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia, Belarus, Lebanon, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Mauritania, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, and Seychelles.

Moreover, the Iranian government agreed to abolish visa requirements for tourist groups from Russia.

The Islamic Republic had previously had visited cancelations with some countries like Turkey, the Republic of Azerbaijan, Oman, China, Armenia, Lebanon, and Syria, in various forms - unilateral, bilateral, and group visa cancelations, including airport visas, which were implemented in some cases.

Based on an initial proposal, the tourism ministry requested abolishing visa requirements for passport holders from 68 countries, including Finland, Cyprus, and Luxembourg.

According to Ali-Asghar Shalbafian, who is Zarghami’s deputy for tourism, the number of tourist arrivals is estimated to reach six million by the end of the current year (March 19, 2024). “With the [steady] increase in the arrival of foreign tourists, it is expected the number of international arrivals will reach about 6 million by year-end.”

The latest data provided by the tourism ministry suggests the number of foreign arrivals in the country reached 4.4 million during the first eight months of the current Iranian year (started on March 21), which shows 48.5 percent compared to that of last year.

“Iran’s tourism experienced a growth of 48.5% in the first eight months of this year, attracting 4.4 million and 400 thousand visitors motivated by trade, medical treatment, pilgrimage, and tourism,” Moslem Shojai, who presides over the ministry’s foreign tourism marketing and development office, said on Tuesday.

Based on the statistics, some 1.8 million visitors from West Asia traveled to Iran in the first seven months of this year, showing a growth of about 31% compared to the same period last year. This growth surpassed that of Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia.

In addition, some 258,000 visitors from Turkey arrived in the Islamic Republic in the first six months of this year, which shows a 36% growth compared to the same period last year.

Moreover, countries within the ECO (Economic Cooperation Organization), including Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Afghanistan, also saw a 55% growth with 1.1 million visitors in the first six months of this year, the statistics suggest.

Referring to Chinese nationals, who enjoy visa-free travel to Iran, Shajai said: In the first six months of this year, the number of Chinese arrivals increased by 67% compared to the pre-pandemic period. The official added that traveling from Russia to Iran increased by approximately 14% with the entry of 21,200 people.

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