Source: Tehran Times
Problems in issuing Iran visas for U.S. nationals have been solved so that they can easily obtain the entry permission for traveling to the country, says the chief executive of the Iranian Tour Operators Association. The time of visa application for U.S. citizens has been reduced to two weeks as it took at least one month in the past, ISNA quoted Ebrahim Pourfaraj as saying on June 5.
Western travelers near Chehel Sotoun, a Safavid-era pavilion in Isfahan, central
Iran
Undated photo by www.irandoostan.com
Pourfaraj called the new approach an exclusive privilege to American
travelers who are considered as big spenders in the country.
Iran has remained committed to strengthening ties and building its tourism
sector with the international community, despite travel bans the Donald Trump
administration has introduced to citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries
including Iran.
In January, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Americans who
already hold Iranian visas can enter the country, even though Tehran had vowed
to respond in kind to a U.S. ban on visitors from Iran and six other Muslim
countries ordered by President Donald Trump.
"Unlike the U.S., our decision is not retroactive. All with valid Iranian visa
will be gladly welcomed," Zarif said on Twitter.
The lifting of sanctions on Iran in the wake of a landmark nuclear deal Iran and
power powers inked in 2015, has resulted in a surge of bookings and travels form
Westerners.
Many tour operators say the demand has been so acute that they are racing to add
new departures and selling them in record time.
Pourfaraj has operated four tours of American nationals that were composed of 90
people since the beginning of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21,
2017), ISNA reported.
Iran hosts some of the world's oldest cultural monuments, including 21 UNESCO
World Heritage Sites, and its varied terrain ranges from desert locales to ski
resorts.
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