Seyyed Reza Salehi Amiri, the Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of the Islamic Republic of Iran, announced the goal of enhancing the annual exchange of tourists between Tehran and Baghdad to 10 million during a meeting with Yasser Abdul Zahra Al-Hujjaj, the Iraqi ambassador. This meeting took place on the 23rd of Shahrivar and was dedicated to discussing ways to cooperate culturally and in tourism between the two countries.
Existing Agreements and Tourism Potentials
Salehi Amiri, referring to the agreements made between the heads of government of the two countries, stated that currently about 3.6 million tourists travel from Iraq to Iran, and an equal number of Iranian citizens travel to Iraq. He added that these figures do not include the religious and spiritual events of Arbaeen Hosseini, which, with the registration of over 7 million pilgrims, is considered a movement beyond economic tourism.
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The Minister of Cultural Heritage emphasized that the target of increasing the exchange of tourists to 10 million per year, with an annual growth rate of 1.5 million tourists, is considered a priority. This targeting is in line with the proposal of the Prime Minister of Iraq to enhance economic and residential tourism between the two countries.
Comprehensive Tourism Package and New Plans
Salehi Amiri also announced the development of a comprehensive tourism package and added: "Under the strategy 'Iran, the Beginning of Every Story', we have defined 10 major tourism routes, one of which is the historical Sassanian route. This joint plan can open new horizons in the field of historical geotourism."
He stressed the need to utilize new tourism destinations and said: "We must add historical and religious destinations such as ancient Babylon to pilgrimage tourism packages. Additionally, facilitating the land movement of private vehicles of Iraqi families from the borders of Ilam, Kermanshah, and Khuzestan can provide a unique opportunity for increasing tourism."
In the field of maritime tourism, a connection line from Khuzestan to Basra has been planned. Salehi Amiri also announced the unveiling of a currency bank card similar to Visa card in the country's banking network, which can resolve the monetary exchange challenges for tourists.
The Minister of Cultural Heritage also referred to Iran's achievements in the health and medical field and announced the launch of a national health tourism system that can help better manage costs and medical services for tourists.
Yasser Abdul Zahra Al-Hujjaj, the Iraqi ambassador in Tehran, also emphasized the importance of cultural and historical ties between the two countries during this meeting and said: "Contractual geographical borders are meaningless against the deep cultural and religious ties of Iran and Iraq." He welcomed the joint tourism plans and stressed the importance of drafting binding proposals and legal frameworks to enhance tourism capacity.
The Iraqi ambassador also referred to the developmental orientation of the Iraqi government and said: "The Prime Minister of Iraq has based the fundamental priority of the government on sustainable economic and cultural partnerships, and the presence of over 3 million tourists annually is the beginning of a path that should reach 10 million people."
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