Iran, Iraq to raise annual two-way tourism to 10m trips
Iran and Iraq aim to increase the combined number of annual tourist trips between the two countries to 10 million, up from about 7.2 million currently, Iran’s tourism minister said on Wednesday.
Reza Salehi-Amiri, Iran’s minister of cultural heritage, tourism and handicrafts, said that plans to expand land travel, improve border infrastructure and organize medical tourism, IRNA reported.
“The proposal was raised during the Iraqi prime minister’s visit to Tehran, the Iranian capital, and meeting with Iran’s president.
Salehi-Amiri said about 3.6 million Iraqi tourists visit Iran each year, while roughly the same number of Iranians travel to Iraq.
The figures exclude the annual Arbaeen pilgrimage. Arbaeen comes annually 40 days after the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (PBUH). He said the figure falls outside conventional tourism because of its spiritual and religious nature.
Iran plans to focus on land travel amid limitations in air transportation, with efforts to improve cross-border movement in four provinces: Khuzestan and Ilam in western and southwestern Iran, Kermanshah in the west, and West Azerbaijan in the northwest.
The government also aims to make it easier for families to travel between the two countries in private cars.
Salehi-Amiri identified the Shalamcheh border crossing in southwestern Iran as a key point for expanding land tourism. He said 10,000 to 15,000 Iraqi nationals enter Abadan, a city in southwestern Iran, each day. Some come for medical treatment, while others visit for different forms of tourism, he said.
The minister also said the government had approved the charter for medical tourism and the formation of a medical tourism council to better coordinate the sector.
Salehi-Amiri did not specify a timeline for reaching the 10 million-trip target. Achieving it will require new planning and improvements to border facilities and land connections, he said.