Published on October 19, 2025
Iran precocious unveiled its renewed efforts to pull much tourists, peculiarly from neighboring countries. Seyyed Reza Salehi-Amiri, nan country’s Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts, outlined strategies successful a gathering held connected Sunday to boost Iran’s tourism assemblage by targeting cardinal markets successful Central Asia, nan Caucasus, and nan Nowruz region, pinch a attraction connected 13 neighboring countries that observe Nowruz, nan Persian New Year.
Iran is besides prioritizing tourism from nan Persian Gulf littoral states, including Iraq, Kuwait, and Bahrain. According to Salehi-Amiri, nan superior nonsubjective is to tie 15 cardinal tourists by nan extremity of Iran’s Seventh National Development Plan, a extremity initially group earlier nan 12-day Israeli war against Iran, which disrupted tourism plans successful nan country.
“We purpose to create nationalist pride, fortify nationalist cohesion, and revitalize Iranian nine by expanding tourism interactions,” Salehi-Amiri said. “The astir important task now is to boost social trust and relationship to nan country.”
As portion of its broader strategy, Iran is focusing connected regions pinch heavy cultural and humanities ties to nan country. The accent connected nan Nowruz region, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Turkey, is simply a cardinal portion of nan plan, arsenic galore of these countries stock communal taste and belief practices pinch Iran. Additionally, Uzbekistan, Georgia, and Russia person already shown liking successful expanding tourism practice pinch Iran, and these partnerships are expected to deepen successful nan coming years.
Salehi-Amiri besides highlighted nan value of attracting Chinese tourists, noting that Iran’s existent stock of nan Chinese tourism market is minimal compared to neighboring nations. Efforts are underway to amended engagement pinch China and Russia arsenic portion of a broader inaugural to pat into nan increasing East Asian and Eurasian tourism markets.
With a strategical attraction connected regional cooperation, religious tourism, and improving infrastructure, Iran intends to reclaim its position arsenic a awesome tourism hub successful nan Middle East and beyond.
Key Focus Areas for Iranian Tourism:
- Target Neighboring Countries: Iran is emphasizing attracting visitors from Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and Turkey, alongside Iraq, Kuwait, and Bahrain.
- Nowruz Celebrations: Countries successful nan Nowruz region, including Afghanistan and Pakistan, are integral to Iran’s tourism strategy.
- Expanding Religious and Cultural Tourism: Indonesia and Malaysia person expressed liking successful belief tourism, and Iran intends to capitalize connected these connections.
- Fostering Cultural Cooperation: Iran has enhanced its collaboration pinch countries for illustration Uzbekistan, Georgia, and Russia, focusing connected communal tourism goals.
- Increasing Chinese Tourism: Iran plans to grow its marketplace stock of Chinese tourists, focusing connected nonstop engagement and establishing recreation work offices successful China.
Iran’s Regional Tourism Focus
Salehi-Amiri noted that Iran’s tourism strategy is profoundly tied to its taste diplomacy, focusing connected nan rich | humanities and taste assets that make nan state unique. By attracting visitors from countries pinch beardown humanities ties to Iran, peculiarly successful Central Asia and nan Caucasus, Iran hopes to position itself arsenic a taste and belief hub.
In summation to countries successful nan Nowruz region, Pakistan holds peculiar value owed to its heavy taste and belief connections to Iran. Salehi-Amiri emphasized nan value of improving relations and collaboration pinch Pakistan to fortify taste and tourism exchanges.
Regional Cooperation and Expanding Ties:
- Uzbekistan and Georgia are already showing accrued practice pinch Iran successful nan section of tourism.
- Turkey, Afghanistan, and Pakistan are important successful nan effort to beforehand Nowruz tourism, arsenic nan celebrations link millions of group successful these regions pinch Iran’s humanities and taste identity.
- The authorities is moving connected negotiated initiatives to heighten tourism relations pinch Russia, wherever Iranian godforsaken tourism is gaining attention.
Tourism Growth Amid Regional Challenges
Iran’s tourism assemblage has faced challenges, including governmental tensions, nan 12-day war against Israel, and its broader geopolitical positioning. Despite these obstacles, nan state has seen a 30% maturation successful tourists during April and May 2025, and this momentum is expected to continue, perchance bringing nan state person to nan 8 cardinal visitors target by nan extremity of 2025.
To support this growth, nan Iranian authorities is offering a bid of incentives aimed astatine tourism infrastructure development. This includes tax exemptions, zero customs fees for hotel-related goods, and nan creation of a much tourism-friendly environment for investors and operators.
Tourism Infrastructure and Strategic Developments
Iran has developed a comprehensive five-year tourism plan, spanning complete 2,000 pages. The plan, which encompasses national, provincial, and county-specific strategies, highlights nan value of not conscionable attracting visitors but ensuring they acquisition Iran’s unsocial taste and earthy wonders successful a safe, well-organized environment.
The tourism ministry is besides readying to found travel work offices successful countries for illustration China, Russia, and Uzbekistan, further expanding entree and making it easier for visitors to visit. Additionally, nan Islamic Culture and Communication Organization has been tasked pinch promoting Iran’s image overseas and building a much affirmative cognition of nan country.
The Role of Iranians Abroad
Salehi-Amiri emphasized nan value of connecting pinch nan Iranian diaspora arsenic portion of nan larger tourism strategy. With an estimated 7 to 9 cardinal Iranians surviving abroad, nan authorities believes that this group tin play a pivotal domiciled successful attracting capital and tourists backmost to Iran.
Efforts to reconnect Iranians overseas pinch their homeland see nan creation of nan Supreme Council of Iranians Abroad, which intends to fortify ties betwixt expatriates and nan location country. These efforts will beryllium supported by initiatives designed to make Iran a much charismatic destination for not only visitors but besides Iranian businesses and investors.
Iranian Tourism Focus Areas:
- Promoting Iran to Iranians surviving abroad to promote them to sojourn and invest.
- Establishing Iranian recreation offices successful cardinal diaspora countries.
- Developing targeted trading campaigns to entreaty to overseas nationals pinch Iranian heritage.
Building a Positive Image and Promoting Iran’s Strengths
Rebuilding Iran’s image is simply a captious portion of nan plan, peculiarly aft years of antagonistic portrayals successful nan world media. Salehi-Amiri emphasized that nan cardinal factors that pull visitors to Iran are attractiveness, security, and infrastructure. According to reports, 85% of tourists who sojourn Iran time off pinch a positive impression of nan country, which demonstrates nan imaginable for Iran’s tourism to thrive contempt outer challenges.
Tourism Strategies Include:
- Creating compelling content astir Iran’s rich | history, culture, and earthy landscapes.
- Focusing connected advertising and media to reshape Iran’s world image.
- Collaborating pinch world partners to shape tourism events and exhibitions, particularly successful countries pinch important Iranian expatriate communities.
A Vision for nan Future of Iranian Tourism
Looking ahead, Salehi-Amiri’s imagination for Iran’s tourism sector includes expanding not only nan number of visitors but besides nan economic impact that tourism tin person connected nan country’s economy. He stressed that nan improvement of Iran’s tourism infrastructure will play a cardinal domiciled successful enhancing nan country’s economic stability and cultural diplomacy.
The Iranian government’s semipermanent imagination for tourism includes nan pursuing goals:
- 15 cardinal visitors by 2026.
- Strengthening ties pinch countries successful nan Nowruz region, Central Asia, and nan Caucasus.
- Boosting belief tourism pinch countries for illustration Indonesia and Malaysia.
- Enhancing cooperation pinch China, Russia, and different awesome tourism markets.
- Rebuilding Iran’s global image arsenic a safe and charismatic recreation destination.
Conclusion: A Transformative Future for Iranian Tourism
Iran’s renewed attraction connected attracting visitors from its neighboring countries and nan broader region highlights nan country’s committedness to becoming a global tourism hub. By leveraging its taste heritage, belief significance, and earthy beauty, Iran is well-positioned to look arsenic 1 of nan starring tourer destinations successful nan region.
With a cautiously crafted strategy that includes targeted marketing, infrastructure development, and taste diplomacy, Iran is mounting itself up for a brighter early successful tourism. Through collaborations pinch its neighbors and nan Iranian diaspora, Iran hopes to move its rich | taste history and scenic landscapes into a thriving tourism manufacture that will thrust economical maturation and world recognition.