Visitors To Iran Can Forgo Having Their Passports Stamped

Visitors to Iran can now forgo having to get their passports stamped upon entry into the country, in order to quell fears that entering the Islamic Republic of Iran could have them sanctioned by the United States.

“With no entry and exit stamps on the passports of visiting tourists, we are after removing tourists' concerns about visiting Iran because of U.S. sanctions,” Ali Asghar Mounesan, Vice-president and head of Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, said in a meeting with hotel owners in Tehran on August 18, according to Entekhab.ir.

Mounesan reassured hotel owners and those involved in the tourism industry that the government is drawing up protective packages to support the industry in the face of new American sanctions, which will go into full effect in November. The proposal has been approved by the Iranian police and Foreign Ministry, which will be put into practice after it has been approved by the Cabinet.

“While the statistics provided by immigration police of Iran show that the number of foreign tourists visiting Iran has increased by 38 percent in the first four months [of the current Iranian year, beginning from March 2018], the number of European visitors show a slight decline which has affected the functionality of our 4- and 5-star hotels," Mounesan said.

Last year Russia and Iran signed an agreement for visa-free travel for tourist groups ranging between five to 50 people. The two countries have also simplified visa rules in place for their nationals – business people, scientists, educators and several other categories of travelers – that has been in force since February 2016.

Mounesan said on August 12 that some 1,884 tourism projects valued at 430 trillion Iranian rials ($10.2 billion) are underway in Iran. Before the summer of 2013, there were 125 four- and five-star hotels in Iran, which has risen to 158 by now, indicating the amount of tourist interest in Iran. The number of hotels are planned to increase to 280 within the next three years, the official also said.

Iran is expecting to increase the number of tourists from 4.8 million in 2014 to 20 million under the 2025 Tourism Vision Plan. Tourism is projected to account for three percent of Iran's economy this year, while its indirect and induced impacts will account for seven percent. The sector's contribution to employment is forecast to rise to more than 1.65 million jobs, or 6.2% of total employment, this year according to the report of World Travel and Tourism Council for 2018.

But with the U.S. withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and its pledge to reimpose stringent sanctions on Iran, a long shadow has been cast on the country’s tourism sector.

In May 2018, President Donald Trump announced the U.S.’ withdrawal from the JCPOA and threatened Iran with tough economic sanctions, which are expected to go into full effect sometime in November. On August 7, Trump imposed the first package of sanctions against Iran, targeting the country’s automobile sector, trade in gold and precious metals, the country's purchase of US dollars, as well as transactions involving its national currency.

Meanwhile, all remaining American sanctions related to the energy sector and oil exports, and transactions by foreign financial institutions with the Central Bank of Iran, will kick in on November 4.