Iran has canceled visa regime for citizens of 33 countries, including Uzbekistan, IRNA news agency reported with reference to Minister of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Ezzatollah Zarghami.
Ezzatollah Zarghami. Photo: IRNA.
The minister explained the decision is geared to increasing the number of tourists and attracting more visitors from countries around the world. He noted that fostering tourism development can “prevent Iranophobia campaigns,” i.e., “negative publicity, rumors and fear-mongering against Iran.”
Visa regime has also been canceled for Russia, Belarus, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and others. Prior to that, the visa-free entry program was valid only for visitors from Turkey, Azerbaijan, Oman, China, Armenia, Lebanon and Syria.
The influx of tourists from Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan rose by 55% to 1.1 million in January-June this year, Spot reports citing Iranian statistics.
The number of foreign arrivals to Iran in the first eight months of the Iranian year (started March 21) reached 4.4 million, which is 48.5% more than in the same period last year.
As a reminder, the agreement between the governments of Uzbekistan and Iran on simplification of visa procedures for representatives of business and scientific circles, as well as tourist groups (comprising 5 to 20 individuals) came into force on October 13, 2022.
In October this year, Uzbekistan and Iran discussed the conclusion of the agreement on visa regime abolition proposed by the Iranian side.
