Iran suggests mutual visa cancellation to BRICS members

Pars Today - Director General of Marketing and Tourism Expansion Bureau of Iran's Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism proposed to the BRICS member states to cancel mutual visa for their tourists and travelers.

The first BRICS assembly was held in Moscow with the presence of 9 members of the group, namely, Russia, Brazil, Egypt, India, Iran, China, UAE, Ethiopia, and South Africa. According to Pars Today, Moselm Shojaee, Director general of Marketing and Tourism Expansion Bureau of Iran's Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism, in a videoconference with this assembly, considered it necessary to facilitate the entry of tourists from the BRICS member states based on the roadmap of this group. 

Shojaee added, "Earlier, the Islamic Republic of Iran had cancelled the visa for the tourists of 6 countries from among 10 members of the group. 

He made it clear that, in addition to visa cancellation, "We should help airliners of our countries and encourage them to increase the number of direct flights between countries." 

This official pointed to part of Iran's capacities in the field of tourism and said, "The 10th international rank with 27 global heritage registered in the UNESCO, the 5th world rank with 24 intangible global heritage- Nowruz being one of them- ethnic and cultural diversity, great number of events and feasts, hospitable people as a competitive privilege and also exemplary security, are the prominent tourist capacities of Iran which have been mostly mentioned in the comments of tourists on social media.

It should be mentioned that the UN-affiliated World Tourism Organization has announced in its latest report that 6 million tourists had traveled to Iran in 2023. Iran ranked 40 in 2020 in terms of the number of foreign tourists, but it stood in the 34th rank in 2023. 

RM/MG

Key phrases: What is BRICS? situation of tourism in Iran, Iran's worth-visiting places, foreign tourists in Iran