“Citizens of more than 30 contries will no longer need visas to travel to Iran from 4 February. Instead, they will be able to simply purchase a ticket to visit the country,” Deputy Foreign Minister Alireza Bigdeli said.

These countries include India, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Zimbabwe, Brazil, Cuba and others.

For Russian citizens, visas are waived in case travellers go to Iran in tour groups.

Tourism Minister Ezzatollah Zarghami noted that the government intended to open the country to the world and this decision would help to start a new era for tourism development in Iran.

Zurab Pololikashvili, the secretary general of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, welcomed Iran’s decision to relax the borders and expressed optimism about the bright future of the industry in the country.

He also highlighted Iran’s significant role in Asian tourism, drawing attention to the country’s cultural and historical heritage. Pololikashvili expressed his hope that the visa cancellation policy will be the beginning for a bright and prosperous future of tourism in Iran. This is reported by Tehran Times.

The latest figures provided by the Ministry of Tourism show that the number of foreign arrivals to the country reached 4.4 million during the first eight months of the current Iranian year.

African Times published this article in partnership with International Media Network TV BRICS.