TEHRAN – Cultural vice-chairman of Iran’s first vice president, Zia Hashemi, has announced the government and parliamentary efforts to ease the travel procedures for millions of Iranians living abroad who want to visit their hometowns.
Speaking at a quarterly meeting of Tehran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts on Saturday, he highlighted a strong interest among expatriates on his trip to Iran.
Earlier this year, Deputy Tourism Minister Anoushirvan Mohseni-Bandpey emphasized that around 80-9 million Iranians live abroad.
He emphasized the importance of adopting strategic and trust building approaches to attract them for tourism and extensions.
Available data suggests that approximately 7.3 million foreign tourists visited the Islamic Republic in 1403 in the past, which ended on March 20, 2025.
As Mohseni-Bandpey stated, the data is based on an internationally recognized definition of tourism. The definition of tourism classifies individuals who stay at their destination at least one night as tourists, whether foreigners or foreigners in Iran.
The Deputy Minister noted that the ministry maintains detailed and decomposed data on the country of origin, number of arrivals and destinations within Iran.
The Islamic Republic expects to reap jackpots from many tourist attractions, including bazaars, museums, mosques, bridges, baths, madrasas, spirits, churches, towers, and mansions.
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