A recent study has revealed that Iran ranks 73rd among 119 world countries in terms of growth of tourism sector in 2023.
Based on the study carried out by the Specilized Commissions Department of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture (ICCIMA), Iran’s ranking is not acceptable in comparison with other regional countries, including the UAE and Turkey which ranked 18th and 29th respectively.
Among 14 countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, Iran has also been placed ninth.
Iran’s inappropriate ranking in world tourism comes while the country has huge potentials, including historical sites dating back to thousands of years ago, rich natural attractions such as sunny coasts in the south and eye-catching jungles in the north and unique deserts in central country which are attractive to any desert hiker.
The country is also home to numerous religious sites which can attract religious tourists from regional countries and beyond if the conditions are prepared. With highly sophisticated doctors, Iran has long been seeking to become a hub for health tourism in the region.
The study has however failed to elaborate on the reasons contributing to Iran’s low share of world tourism market.
Although Iran has been placed 6th in world ranking of Muslim travels referred to Halal tourism, the country is still behind two other regional countries, namely Qatar and Turkey.
Malaysia and Indonesia have jointly preserved their first place in offering Halal tourism.
The number of Iran’s incoming tourists have increased from 2.94 million in 2010 to nearly 2.8 million in 2023 while it is still far behind neighboring UAE with 28 million incoming tourists.
A report by the World Health Organization had put Iran’s tourism revenues in 2022 at $3.7 billion with that of UAE being reported at over $21 billion.