Tourism in Iran

Tourism in Iran is diverse, offering a range of activities from hiking and skiing in the Alborz and Zagros mountains to beach vacations by the Persian Gulf and Caspian Sea. The Iranian government has made concerted efforts to attract tourists to various destinations in the country and arrivals have increased in recent years. Iran has 24 UNESCO World Heritage Sites – 22 cultural and two natural.

Ali Asghar Moonesan, director of the Iranian Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHTO), announced that the number of tourists who visited Iran in the first six months of the Iranian year ( from March 21) increased by 51% compared to the same period. period in 2017.

He added that 8.7 million foreign nationals visited Iran during the [Iranian] (1398), adding that Iran was ranked as the second fastest growing country in tourism based on data compiled by the World Tourism Organization.

He said: “The country’s tourism was developing before the crown [outbreak], its revenues reached $ 11.7 billion in 2019, which was 2.8% of GDP, which is close to the average share of tourism in global GDP, which was 3.2%, ”Mounesan said.

Months of severe recession have taken their toll. Many travel insiders, hoteliers and tour operators have faced great dilemmas such as bankruptcy, unemployment, debt and the prospect of not being internationally competitive.

They now have good reason to be hopeful as the Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, Ezzatollah Zarghami, announced on September 19 that the country plans to lift visa restrictions to help the tourism industry harshly. affected.

Zarghami made the remarks following his conversations with President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, however, the minister did not specify when these regulations would be removed.

Iran is potentially a booming destination for travelers looking for cultural attractions, breathtaking scenery, and numerous UNESCO-listed sites. As part of the Tourism Vision 2025 plan, Iran aims to increase the number of tourist arrivals from 4.8 million in 2014 to 20 million in 2025.

Even before the pandemic, Iranian tourism was already grappling with some challenges, in addition to Western “media propaganda” aimed at scaring potential travelers from the Islamic Republic. Some experts believe Iran is still somehow “unknown” to many would-be travelers due to such a “media war”.

Shiraz photography exhibition.

The Consulate General of the Islamic Republic of Iran will organize an exhibition on the theme of “photography of shiraz” at the Salar Jung museum from October 13 to October 23, 2021. 40 photos of Shiraz as well as live calligraphy and wood inlays will be exhibited in this event.

Shri V. Srinivas Goud. The Honorable Minister of Tourism, Culture and Archeology of the Telangana government will be the guest of honor at this exhibition.

The exhibition will be organized in cooperation with the Salarjung Museum and The Siasat Daily newspaper.