Germany, Italy and France send most tourists to Iran

Germany, Italy and France send most tourists to Iran

TEHRAN – Most of the tourists applying for the visa to visit Iran come from Germany, Italy and France, the head of the Iranian travel association Ebrahim Pourfaraj said on Thursday.

“Not taking into account religious tourists [visit sacred shrines], Europeans rank first among the tourists who visit the country,” he said.

The number of foreign tourists visiting Iran was doubled in January 2016, according to the Atomic Convention.

Earlier this month, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Trades Organization Masoud Soltanifar announced that Iran has increased its visa on arrival from 1 month to 3 months.

For the time being, citizens of 190 countries can obtain a visa upon arrival at the airports of the country, with one month validation, he added.

In October 2015, Soltanifar said the easing of visa rules was the door to the return of foreign tourists to Iran.

The number of foreigners visiting Iran has grown by 12 per cent in the last two years.

In 2014, Iran hosted more than five million tourists and generated revenues of $ 7.5 billion.