Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug 2
By Khalid Kazimov – Trend:
Tourist arrivals over the past five months, since the new Iranian year began March 20, earned the country $2.85 billion, a trade official said.
Head of Trade Promotion Organization of Iran Valiollah Afkhami-Rad has said that the country had plans to earn $4 billion in revenue from tourism in the mentioned period.
Therefore, tourism sector has realized two third of the planed revenue, ISNA news agency reported.
This is while Iran's revenue from tourism over the last Iranian calendar year (ended March 20) amounted to $8 billion as 5.5 million foreign tourists visited the country over the mentioned period.
In addition to those foreigners who arrive in Iran to enjoy its wide range of tourist attractions including 19 UNESCO-registered sites, "health tourists" also form a considerable number of travelers in the Islamic Republic.
Iranian officials term those patients from neighboring countries who arrive in the Islamic Republic to visit doctors and use the country's medical services as "health tourists".
Iran plans to lure 20 million tourists per year aimed at generating $30 billion in revenue by 2025, Soltanifar added.