Tourism boom puts Iran closer to 15m foreign visitor target
Iran’s deputy tourism minister Anoushirvan Mohseni Bandpey said that foreign tourist arrivals jumped by nearly 50% in April 2025 compared with a year earlier, putting the country on track to meet its goal of attracting 15 million visitors by the end of its seventh development plan.
The government has made tourism a pillar of its “post-oil” economy, portraying the sector as a source of jobs, foreign currency and social cohesion. Officials say the strategy is backed by international outreach, private-sector partnerships and fresh funding from state resources, inn.ir reported.
Bandpey said more than 7.39 million foreign tourists entered Iran in the year that ended on March 20, 2025. In April alone, arrivals rose 48.5% from the same month in 2024. “The figures show that the 15 million target is becoming a reality,” he told reporters.
Iran also returned to Dubai’s international tourism fair this year after a decade-long absence, covering exhibition costs to allow private firms to showcase attractions ranging from cultural and religious heritage to eco-tourism.
Officials signed bilateral agreements with neighboring states and members of the Nowruz cultural sphere to spur cross-border travel.
New financing has flowed into infrastructure. For the first time, $1bn from the National Development Fund was directed to the tourism ministry, matched by commercial banks. The Central Bank of Iran also issued $5bn in bonds for hotels already 80% complete.
Another $1.5bn was allocated to small businesses such as eco-lodges and handicrafts, with $2bn distributed to provinces.
Between March 2024 and late August 2025, 138 hotels were opened nationwide, surpassing the annual target of 100. Bandpey said the figure “proves the target is within reach” by the end of 2025.
Regulatory reforms have moved in tandem. Cabinet approval was secured for new rules under the Seventh Development Plan, including customs exemptions on over 200 tourism-related goods and permits for mixed-use facilities in areas where stand-alone hotels lack economic viability.
Bandpey stressed that if international conditions stabilize and “trust-building” continues, the country could even exceed its official goals.