The Iranian government has decided to unilaterally cancel visa requirements for visitors from 33 countries, including India, announced Iranian Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Ezzatollah Zarghami. The decision was made to boost tourism arrivals and attract more visitors from other nations.
Apart from India, visa requirements are cancelled for travellers from Russia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Mauritania, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Seychelles, Indonesia, Darussalam, Japan, Singapore, Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brazil, Peru, Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia and Belarus., IRNA news reported. Iran already had visa waivers for Turkey, Azerbaijan, Oman, China, Armenia, Lebanon and Syria.
Zarghami said that efforts to boost tourism can neutralize Iranophobia campaigns. According to the latest statistics, the number of foreign arrivals in Iran reached 4.4 million during the first eight months of the current Iranian year (started on March 21), an increase of 48.5% compared to the same period last year.
Other countries waiving visas for Indians
Earlier, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that Malaysia will start visa-free entry for citizens of India and China visiting the country from December 1 for 30 days. However, the issuance of a visa will be subject to security checks.
Before Malaysia, three countries - Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and Thailand - announced visa-free entry for Indian citizens to boost the tourism sector and promote economic development. India has one of the fastest-growing markets for Outbound Tourism India with a recent McKinsey analysis showing 13 million outbound Indian tourists in 2022.
Vietnamese Tourism Minister Nguyn Van Jung has proposed short-term visa waivers for travellers from China and India to boost the recovery of the country's economic sector.
Notably, Sri Lanka, an island nation, is majorly dependent on the tourism sector. The industry is considered a significant contributor to the country's GDP. However, it has been ruined by back-to-back tragedies that occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the bad implementation of agricultural reforms. In fact, this led the country to plunge into crisis.
(with inputs from ANI)
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