The Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts of Iran, Ezzatollah Zarghami, announced that Iran now offers visa-free access to half the global population.
Highlighting the government’s commitment to bolstering tourism, he revealed that visas have been abolished for citizens of 33 countries in a recent decision, VisaGuide.World reports
The government has shown special attention to the tourism sector, with the recent move to abolish visas for citizens of numerous countries seen as a significant step in boosting tourism.
According to the Tehran Times (TT), the Islamic Republic of Iran’s first English daily newspaper, Zarghami, revealed that while an initial proposal aimed to scrap visas for citizens of 60 countries, the government settled on visa waivers for 33 nations. Among those benefiting from this visa-waiver program are countries such as India, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Brazil, and many others.
Previously, the Islamic Republic has also revised visa policies with several countries, including Turkey, Azerbaijan, and China. These changes ranged from unilateral and bilateral cancelations to group visa arrangements and even airport visas in some instances. Notably, a special privilege allowing visa-free travel for Russian tourist groups was established through a mutual agreement between Tehran and Moscow.
Iran Sees Tourism Boom with 48.5% Increase in Foreign Arrivals
Recent data from Iran’s Tourism Ministry indicates a significant rise in foreign arrivals. Over six million tourists entered Iran by air, road, and sea during the past Iranian calendar year, ending on March 19. Such data show that Iran increased from the approximately 4.23 million tourists in the previous year (1401).
In January, Zurab Pololikashvili, the Secretary-General of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), praised Iran’s border easing measures. He further expressed optimism that the visa waiver policy would pave the way for a thriving tourism future in Iran.
According to the Ministry’s data, Iran has seen a significant uptick in tourism, with 4.4 million foreign arrivals during the first eight months of the current Iranian year (March 21). This reflects a robust 48.5 percent increase compared to the same period in the previous year.
EU Issues Travel Warnings for Iran & Israel Amid Growing Tensions
While Iran has extended visa-free travel to nearly half of the global population, tensions between Israel and Palestine have prompted several European countries to issue travel warnings advising their citizens against traveling to both nations.
The recent escalation began with airstrikes on April 1 targeting the Iranian Consulate in Damascus, resulting in the death of seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officials, which is widely attributed to Israel.
In response to a significant drone and missile attack launched by Iran on Israel overnight on April 13-14, several regional countries temporarily closed their airspace. This attack was viewed as retaliation for the suspected Israeli airstrike on the Iranian Consulate earlier in April.
Countries issuing travel advisories against all travel to specific locations in the region due to the risk of military escalation include Canada, France, Poland, Germany, and the Netherlands.
