Iran, Tajikistan strengthen tourism ties with visa-free travel: Minister
Iran and Tajikistan have taken a major step towards enhancing their tourism and cultural ties by mutually agreeing to abolish visa requirements for air travel between their capitals, Tehran and Dushanbe.
Iranian Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts, Reza Salehi Amiri, expressed optimism about the impact of this decision, stating, “The previous agreement only covered visa-free travel between Tehran and Dushanbe, but now, with the new agreement, citizens of both countries can travel from any region in Iran to any region in Tajikistan and vice versa without a visa.”
The minister highlighted the potential for increased tourism, noting the current figures of around 8,600 Iranian tourists visiting Tajikistan and 1,500 Tajiks traveling to Iran annually.
He aims to bump these numbers up to 100,000 with the visa-free travel arrangement, IRNA reported.
The new policy, approved by Iran’s Cabinet, will take effect on February 3, 2025. It allows citizens of both countries holding ordinary passports to travel freely between Tehran and Dushanbe, with a maximum stay of 30 days within a 90-day period.
Furthermore, addressing concerns about foreign tourists visiting Iran during the upcoming Nowruz celebrations, which coincide with the holy month of Ramadan, the minister assured that Islamic customs and traditions will be respected, and guidelines will be issued to tourist destinations, hotels, and other relevant establishments to facilitate this.