Following a proposal by the Ministry of Tourism last year, the Iranian government is considering scrapping visa requirements for passport holders from 68 countries, with the scheme aiming to attract more tourists as well as facilitate travel to this country.
Ali-Asghar Shalbafian, the deputy minister for tourism, pointed out that some more countries are included in the list of countries that might soon benefit from visa-free travel to Iran, with the population and income per capita being the criteria, VisaGuide.World reports.
The new countries to be included in the list are Argentina, South Africa, Indonesia, Jordan, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Estonia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ecuador, Algeria, UAE, Bahrain, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Belarus, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Paraguay, Peru, Tanzania, Tajikistan, Thailand, and Turkmenistan.
On the other hand, countries that might be eligible for having visa requirements scrapped, include Tunisia, Czech Republic, Russia, Romania, Japan, Ivory Coast, Singapore, Senegal, Sudan, Seychelles, Chile, Serbia, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Finland, Cyprus, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Cameroon, Croatia, South Korea, Colombia, Comoros, Kuwait, Guinea, Poland, Luxembourg, Libya, Lithuania, Malaysia, Maldives, Hungary, Macedonia, Mexico, Mauritius, Mali, Madagascar, Niger, Vietnam, Yemen, Greece, and India.
The number of countries included in the list of visa-free travel territories was initially 50, but the authorities raised that number to 60 to further peak to a total of 68.
The ministry’s proposal to waive visa requirements for 60 countries is currently under consideration by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant authorities. Moreover, we have simplified overland journeys for tourists from neighbouring countries who are willing to visit Iran in their private cars.
He also said that tourist arrivals are expected to reach six million by 2024, while the latest United Nations Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) barometer revealed that tourist arrivals in Iran peaked at 2.9 million in the first half of 2023.
On average, Iran’s tourism during this period is 50 percent lower than in 2019, when no COVID-19 restrictions were imposed. This shows that tourism rates have yet to reach pre-pandemic levels in Iran.
On the other hand, Iran’s tourism ministry indicates the country witnessed the arrival of 3.3 million tourists in the first half of 2023 – up by 38 percent compared to the previous year.
Bazaars, museums, mosques, bridges, bathhouses, madrasas, mausoleums, churches, towers, and mansions – a total of 27 of which are on the UNESCO World Heritage list are only some of the sights that tourists to Iran can enjoy while visiting the country.