Tourist arrivals surged 43% in 2023
Iran saw a significant increase in international tourists in 2023, with a 43% rise in arrivals compared to the previous year, according to a report by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
This growth has elevated Iran six places in the global tourism ranking, now positioned at 34th among top destinations.
The data, released by the UNWTO and cited by IRNA on Tuesday, indicates that approximately 5.9 million tourists visited Iran in 2023, up from 4.1 million in 2022.
This surge follows a previous quadrupling of tourist numbers in 2022, which rebounded from a pandemic-induced slump in 2021 when only 880,000 tourists visited Iran.
The remarkable increase in tourism has placed Iran ahead of many countries, with only 33 nations attracting more international tourists. France led the global rankings with 100 million visitors, followed by Spain with 85 million, and the United States with 66 million. Other top destinations included Italy, Turkey, Mexico, the UK, Germany, Greece, and Austria.
Iran’s tourism sector has shown resilience and significant recovery post-pandemic, as evidenced by the substantial rise in international arrivals over the past two years.