Iraqi cities to host Iranian tourism roadshow
Iran will stage a large-scale tourism roadshow in Iraq from October 6 to 9, targeting an annual flow of 10mn visitors between the two neighbors.
The event, organized by Iran’s Association of Travel Agencies in cooperation with the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, will be held in Basra, Baghdad and Karbala.
It marks the most extensive tourism promotion Iran has undertaken abroad, with plans to attract up to 5mn Iraqi travelers a year.
Deputy Tourism Minister Anoushirvan Mohseni-Bandpey said previous roadshows “have not matched the scale” of the upcoming Iraqi event.
He stressed that Tehran wants to move beyond pilgrimages and medical visits, long the mainstay of cross-border travel, towards leisure, heritage and recreational tourism.
Iranian organizers expect thousands of travel agents, hoteliers, airline executives and free-trade zone representatives from both countries to attend. Cultural nights featuring joint Iranian-Iraqi concerts are also scheduled in the three cities.
Tourism Minister Reza Salehi-Amiri is due to join the delegation and hold talks with Iraq’s prime minister and tourism minister on widening cooperation.
“Our target is 2.5 million Iraqi visitors in the second half of the current Iranian calendar year (by March 2026), rising to 5 million in the next yar,” Mohseni-Bandpey said.
Private-sector operators from both sides are expected to sign cooperation agreements during the event, aimed at distributing tourists across a wider range of destinations in Iran and Iraq.