In a major development, Iran has announced visa-free travel for citizens of more than 30 countries around the world to boost travel and tourism to the country.
Citizens of Gulf countries including the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait will be able to visit Iran without a visa. Citizens of India, Brazil and Indonesia will also be able to visit the country without needing a visa.
This visa free travel from India is anticipated to boost education and spiritual tourism related travel from Kashmir to Iran, home to some of Persian culture’s most significant heritage and religious sites. A large number of pilgrims from Kashmir visit Iran’s several holy religious sites every year.
Lately, a trend has also started which has seen a large number of Kashmiri students, aspiring professional education, especially in medicine, going to Iran.
Iran’s Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Ezzatollah Zarghami has said the Iranian Cabinet has decided to unilaterally cancel visa requirements for visitors from 33 more countries, according to the state-run news agency IRNA.
Speaking to reporters after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Zarghami said the decision is aimed at boosting tourism arrivals and attracting more visitors from countries around the world.
According to the latest statistics, the number of foreign arrivals in the country reached 4.4m during the first eight months of the current Iranian year (started on March 21), an increase of 48.5 per cent compared to the same period last year.
The 33 countries approved for the new visa-waiver program are:
India
Russian Federation (in group visits)
UAE
Bahrain
Saudi Arabia
Qatar
Kuwait
Lebanon
Uzbekistan
Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan
Tunisia
Mauritania
Tanzania
Zimbabwe
Mauritius
Seychelles
Indonesia
Brunei
Japan
Singapore
Cambodia
Malaysia
Vietnam
Brazil
Peru
Cuba
Mexico
Venezuela
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Serbia
Croatia and
Belarus
