Iran saw 11.5% increase in US tourist 2016

Iran saw 11.5% increase in US tourist 2016

Iran experienced an 11.5 percent increase in US tourists compared to the previous month in September 2016, said a report in Fortune and Euromonitor International.
The report comes from the US government office for tourism and travel and notes Iran is one of the countries with the largest jumps in the year-to-September, Karavaniq.com reported.

US passport holders have a harder time in Iran than the nationals of most other countries because they are obliged to have an official guide who accompanies them at any time. Visa procedures are also lengthy.
The report follows similar information published by the tourism authorities of Iran, which last year saw a 12% boom of tourists in the country.

In 2015, the Islamic Republic welcomed around 5.5 million foreign guests. However, 2016 data will not be released until the Iranian New Year in March 2017.
The country, which was recently untried, wants to attract 20 million tourists by 2025 – a figure that many have questioned due to the current lack of facilities for existing numbers of visitors.

US citizens, along with Canadians, have a difficult time in Iran due to the strict vispolitik. Meanwhile, Mexicans, the other North American state, have visa-on-arrival for Iran.

As with many Western tourists who come to Iran, a significant portion of those who enter the country are in the older demographic and comes as part of the organized tours.