Iran's Minister of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Ezzatollah Zarghami has announced plans to abolish the visa regime with neighboring countries. The ministry is collaborating with the foreign affairs agency of Iran to facilitate this change, aiming to create more opportunities for tourism, the IRNA news agency reported on Thursday.
"We are constantly working to abolish visa regime with neighboring countries. Thanks to the cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, more opportunities are being provided for tourism every day," announced the minister.
Tehran Times reported on Friday that the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is developing a strategy aimed at easing borders and the possibility of cancelling visa requirements unilaterally for passport holders from 60 states.
The government official said the strategy proposes to unilaterally abolish visas for Muslim countries and neighbouring states in order to attract more international tourists.
Iran expects to profit from various tourist attractions such as bazaars, museums, mosques, bridges, baths, madrassas, mausoleums, churches, towers and mansions, 27 of which are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.