Iran to open its borders for travel & tourism, starting July

Iran’s tourism ministry has said that the country will start hosting foreign travellers by mid-summer, with priority given to guests from neighbouring countries.

“Based on our data analysis, Iran will open land borders to neighbours as of July 5 and some of its air borders as of July 22,” Mohammad-Ebrahim Larijani, the director of the ministry’s advertising and marketing office said, according to a report in Tehran Times.

The official referred to travel demands from Oman, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Pakistan, Iraq, Turkey, China, and Hong Kong. “Apart from these applicants, we have had requests from European backpackers to travel to Iran.”

“The foreign nationals have cited various reasons for their visits such as trade, medical treatment, pilgrimage, education, or to visit. I am sure that if the borders of Iran and Turkey are opened right now, the demand for travel to that country would be significant because many (Iranian) people have administrative, commercial, or educational affairs in Turkey.”

Larijani said the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts does not solely decide on the resumption of travel relations with other countries. “We are preparing our proposals in discussions with the Coronavirus Combat Operations Headquarters.”

Larijani called on travel agencies to make packages, tailored to the needs of specified travellers.

Iran has numerous tourist spots of which 24 are being inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Under the Tourism Vision Plan, it aims to increase the number of tourist arrivals from 4.8 million in 2014 to 20 million in 2025.