13, 895,000 foreign tourists entered Iran

TEHRAN, Jul. 24 (MNA) – Following COVID-19 and with the cancellation of visa restrictions since November 2021, 13, 895,000 foreign tourists entered Iran,  Iranian Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Ezzatollah Zarghami said.

"Despite the Iranophobic activities and the fact that many countries announced on their official pages that their nationals are prohibited from traveling to Iran, we still had an increase in receiving tourists," Zarghami said.

Earlier in January, the Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular, Parliamentary, and Iranian expatriate Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that as of February 5, tourists from 28 countries can travel to Iran without obtaining visas.

The 28 countries include Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tunisia, Tanzania, Mauritania, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Seychelles, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, Brunei, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus and India, Alireza Bigdeli said.

Earlier in December, Iranian Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Ezzatollah Zarghami had said that the Iranian Cabinet has approved the decision on unilateral cancellation of the visas for 32 countries.