Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr.23
By Temkin Jafarov - Trend:
Iran and Azerbaijan will sign a document on cooperation in tourism, an official of Iranian tourism organization told Trend.
During the meeting with reporters, Masood Soltanifar, vice-president and head of Iranian Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism said he intends to visit Azerbaijan May 18.
Soltanifar added that alongside with several meetings with Azerbaijani officials, he will take part in an international event to be held in Baku.
Previously, some media outlets reported that Azerbaijani citizens have been banned from going to Iran more than twice a month, however Iran's embassy in Azerbaijan dismissed the information. The ban was reportedly launched on the Bilasuvar customs check point.
Iran unilaterally abolished the visa regime with Azerbaijan in 2009. Azerbaijani citizens can travel to Iran without a visa, by providing a passport.
Meanwhile, Iran itself expects a boost in tourism, once the sanctions against the country are lifted. According to Iranian media, the country, in terms of tourism potential, ranks 15th in the world, but based on the number of tourists it receives, only 45th-48th.
Masood Soltanifar has previously said that Iran plans to boost the number of visiting tourists to 20 million people in 20 years, with an income of over $30 billion. Soltanifar added that currently 950 tourism-related projects are underway in the country.
He said that last Iranian year (which ended March 20), Iran received 96 percent more tourists than the preceding year.
Edited by SI
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