CentralAsia (KG) – The Iranian government has decided to cancel the visa regime for citizens of 32 countries, including Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Tehran Times reports this.
“The Ministry of Tourism’s proposal to abolish visas for some countries has been approved by the government. The unilateral abolition of visas was approved today at a government meeting. <…> The Islamic Republic has demonstrated its readiness to open its doors to people from all over the world and provide them with more opportunities so that they can easily visit our country and appreciate its merits,” Ezzatollah Zarghami, head of the Iranian Ministry of Tourism, told reporters.
The minister expects that the abolition of the visa regime will usher in a new era of tourism development in Iran and put an end to anti-Iranian propaganda.
“This decision will help prevent negative publicity, rumors and fear-mongering against Iran,” Zarghami said.
In addition to the three Central Asian countries mentioned above, citizens of India, the 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, Tunisia, Mauritania, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Mauritius and Seychelles.
In addition, the Iranian authorities decided to cancel the visa regime for tourist groups from Russia.
According to the Iranian Ministry of Tourism, in the first eight months of the year, which began on March 21, the number of foreign tourists in the country increased by 48.5% and reached 4.4 million people. By the end of the year (03/19/2024), their number is estimated to reach 6 million.
The ministry noted a 55% increase in tourist flows from ECO (Economic Cooperation Organization) member countries, which includes 10 countries, including all Central Asian countries. In the first six months, 1.1 million citizens of these states visited Iran.
Source: Central Asia Media
