ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Approximately three million people from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region have visited Iran since the beginning of this year, marking an increase of almost 50 percent compared to 2023, an Iranian official revealed on Friday. “This year, 2.7 million tourists from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region visited Iran. The number reflects a 47 percent surge compared to the previous year,” Ali Asghar Shalbafian, Iran's deputy tourism minister, told reporters while attending an international tourism fair in Sulaimani. Iraqis and Iranians do not need visas when travelling between their countries. “The Islamic Republic of Iran has mutual and historic relations with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, which has contributed to the improvement of relations in the tourism sector,” said Shalbafian. The devaluation of Iran’s currency against the United States dollar has made it a low-cost destination for many people in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. There are multiple border crossings between the Kurdistan Region and Iran, but only three are internationally recognized: Bashmakh in Sulaimani province, Parvizkhan in the Garmiyan administration, and Haji Omaran in Erbil province.
