FAQ

Iran is a rich country in historical and cultural treasures, which has always been an important destination for tourist and merchants, has recently presented an investment package of 1,300 projects to attract foreign investment and boost its tourism industry.

A lot of famous international medias and experts have been predicted that Iran could be one of the top tourist destinations in the upcoming years.

Iran hosts 19 UNESCO World Heritage Sites including historical buildings, castles, mosques, churches, bridges, palaces, gardens, stunning natural magnets and an amazing hospitable people.

The landscape of Iran is diverse, providing a range of activities from hiking and skiing in the Alborz Mountains, to beach holidays by the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea.

Over the next five years a number of tourism-friendly infrastructure projects will be undertaken on the Persian Gulf island of Kish, which at present attracts around 1m visitors annually.

Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Tourism

Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Ministry is responsible for the establishment, development and operation of tourism facilities in Iran, planning for the repair or extension of tourism facilities through direct investment or providing loans to the private sector or entering into partnership with the private sector, issuing licenses and supervising the establishment and administration of hotels and restaurants and travel agencies and qualification and rating of these units. Investment in Iran’s free trade zones is exempt from taxes for up to 20 years.

Visa requirement

In general, Iran has tried to improve its visa application process and has begun to issue week-long visas for the nationals of 68 countries at airports. An online hotel reservation system has been developed. Iran equipped all airports with electronic visas facilities in February 2009 to issue online entry permits to foreign nationals. Visas can now be secured electronically and be collected from Iranian consulates or international airports.