Iran has lifted the visa regime for citizens of 33 countries, including Uzbekistan and other Central Asian countries, according to the Iranian Minister of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism, Zarghami, IRNA news agency reports. The minister stated that the decision aims to increase the number of tourists and attract more visitors from around the world. He mentioned that tourism development could "prevent campaigns of Iranophobia" referring to negative advertising, rumors, and fear-mongering about Iran.
The visa requirement has also been abolished for Russia, Belarus, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and others. Prior to this, the visa-free entry program was only applicable to visitors from Turkey, Azerbaijan, Oman, China, Armenia, Lebanon, and Syria.
According to Iran's statistics reported by Spot, from January to June of this year, the number of tourists from Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Afghanistan increased by 55%, reaching 1.1 million people. The number of foreign citizens arriving in Iran for the first eight months of the Iranian year (starting on March 21) reached 4.4 million, which is 48.5% more than the same period last year.