Tehran, Iran, Jan. 24
By Mehdi Sepahvand – Trend:
The number of the European tourists coming to Iran jumped 50 percent after the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), according to Zahra Ahmadipour, head of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicraft and Tourism Organization.
Many foreign media outlets introduced Iran as one of the top three tourist destinations in 2016, Ahmadipour told a press conference on the impacts of the JCPOA on tourism, Trend correspondent reported January 24.
The JCPOA was put into effect in January 2016, lifting heavy economic sanctions on Iran in return to limits on the country’s nuclear activities.
Over the past year, about 20 delegations from various countries have visited Iran to seek opportunities for building hotels, Ahmadipour said, adding currently four or five countries are in serious negotiations with Iran over cooperation in the hospitality sector.
“I can say this much that by March some good things will happen. In two or three weeks the representatives of some very famous hotel brands are also visiting Tehran,” she added, noting that French companies are the pioneers in the talks.
Ahmadipour also said Iran is pursuing efforts to ease visa conditions with as many countries as possible.
“We have visa waiver with 37 countries. We recently increased the visa validity from 15 to 90 days. Also, we are in talks to bilaterally ease visa conditions for tourist groups.”
