Tourism in Iran

Some tourist attractions

Tourism in Iran provides a range of activities from hiking and skiing in the Alborz and Zagros mountains, to beach holidays by the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea. The Iranian government has made efforts to attract tourists to various destinations in the country. Alongside the capital, the most popular tourist destinations are Isfahan, Shiraz and Mashhad.

Iran's tourism had constantly been growing before the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching nearly 9 million foreign visitors in 2019, the world's third fastest-growing tourism destination before the pandemic.^[1][2] In 2021 and 2022, Iran's tourism industry grew 40% for two years in a row, expanding the sector's share to 4.7% of country's national economy.^[3] In September and October 2023, Iran achieved a positive balance compared to the same period in 2019.^[4] Iran's tourism experienced a growth of 48.5% in 2023, attracting over 5.2 million visitors.^[4]

97.7% of all tourist visits in Iran are for leisure purposes, while 2.3% are for business, indicating the country's strong appeal as a tourist destination.^[5] Alongside the capital, the most popular tourist destinations are Isfahan, Shiraz and Mashhad.^[6] Iran is fast emerging as a preferred destination for medical tourism.^[7][8]

Travels from other Western Asian countries to Iran grew 31% in the first seven months of 2023, surpassing that of Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia.^[9] Domestic tourism in Iran is one of the largest in the world, with the Iranian tourists spent $33.3 billion in 2021.^{[10][11][12][13]}

Iran projects investment of over $32 billion in the tourism sector by 2026.^[14] The Iranian government ended visa requirements for 60 countries in 2023.

Iran was the world's third fastest-growing tourism destination in 2019.^[15]