INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
to waive visa requirements with 60 countries is currently under consideration by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant
authorities.Shalbafian stated that the proposal was submitted to the President's office after Ayatollah Ebrahim Raisi visited the tourism
ministry.The scheme recommends unilateral cancellation of visas with Muslim countries and neighboring states to increase international
arrivals, the official said.The Islamic Republic has recorded about 850,000 foreign tourist arrivals during the first two months of the
year, which shows over 50 percent growth year on year, the tourism ministry announced earlier this month.According to the statistics bureau
Data showed around 4.1 million tourists came to the country in 2022, while the Islamic Republic attracted 990,000 tourists in 2021.The
upsurge of foreign tourist arrivals in 2022 was three times the global average growth in this field
Nevertheless, Iran's share in attracting foreign tourists is still small, and only 0.4% of all foreign tourist trips in 2022 have been
made to Iran, the report said.Before the COVID pandemic, Iran's tourism had constantly been growing, reaching more than eight million
visitors in the Iranian calendar year 1398 (started March 21, 2019)
Islamic Republic has steadily stepped-up efforts to use tourism, over the past couple of years, to help promote its international image
battered by endless opposition mostly from the United 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 26 are inscribed on
the UNESCO World Heritage list.AFM
