WANA (Nov 19) – Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts presented an optimistic outlook on the country’s tourism sector today, with Minister Reza Salehi-Amiri stating that Iran has returned to its normal, pre-war tourism conditions.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Cabinet meeting, Salehi-Amiri announced that “from the first half of this year until now, around 4.5 million tourists from target countries have entered Iran.” He added that key tourism indicators in October and November matched pre-war levels, marking the start of what he described as “a renewed positive trend.”
According to the minister, official projections show that the total number of incoming tourists by the end of the year is expected to surpass the figures recorded in 2024.
Chinese tourists in Iran. Social media / WANA News Agency
Salehi-Amiri also highlighted health tourism as a major priority for the ministry, noting that a comprehensive system for this sector has been designed and will soon be unveiled in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Labor, the Social Security Organization, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and other relevant agencies.
He stated that “Iran currently hosts 1.2 million health tourists annually,” and estimates indicate that this figure could rise to 2 million visitors and €6 billion in revenue by the end of Iran’s Seventh Development Plan. He added that health-tourism frameworks in provinces such as Khorasan and Khuzestan have already been organized and strengthened.
Referring to his recent trip to Riyadh and meetings with tourism ministers from 10 countries, Salehi-Amiri noted that, according to Oman’s tourism minister, “Oman received $100 million worth of health services from Iran last year.” He stressed that Iran’s strategic direction is to expand health tourism across all countries in the region.