TEHRAN –A special working group held talks on Wednesday as Iran explores ways to facilitate traveling for Iraqi nationals.The working group seeks to simplify overland and sea routes for Iraqi travelers, which once constituted the main source of tourism for the Islamic Republic.Organized by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, the meeting was attended by officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Road Maintenance - Transportation Organization; Ports and Maritime Organization; and the Touring - Automobile Club of the Islamic Republic of Iran, IRNA reported.Issues such as facilitating the transportation of Iraqi tourists by creating regular overland services and the formation of sea transportation lines were among the issues raised in the meeting.Iraqi nationals mainly opt to travel to their eastern neighbor for pilgrimage, sightseeing, and medical tourism, the report said.Each month, thousands of Iraqi pilgrims visit Mashhad, Iran’s holiest and second-largest city, which embraces the shrine complex of Imam Reza (AS), the eighth Shia Imam.Before the coronavirus pandemic, Iraqi constituted Iran’s largest source of tourists.

In return, hundreds of thousands of Iranian pilgrims head for the holy Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala each year to attend the Arbaeen pilgrimage, aka the Arbaeen trek, to mark an end to the 40-day mourning period following the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).According to the deputy tourism minister Ali-Asghar Shalbafian, a total of 715,519 foreign travelers, mainly from Iraq, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, toured Iran during the first three months of the current Iranian calendar year (started on March 21).Iran’s tourism industry has tremendously suffered from the international coronavirus restrictions, so the number of foreign arrivals in 1399 decreased by more than 94% in comparison to the year 1398, the official said.“Citizens from the neighboring countries have been the main source of tourism for Iran since coronavirus restrictions were eased several months ago,” Shalbafian said.Last year, the ministry announced that Iran's tourism was growing before the corona outbreak, its revenues reached $11.7 billion in 2019, which accounted for 2.8% of GDP, nearing the average share of tourism in the world GDP, which was 3.2 percent.Iran was ranked as the second fastest-growing country in tourism based on data compiled by the World Tourism Organization.Experts expect Iran to achieve a tourism boom after the coronavirus is contained, believing its impact would be temporary and short-lived for a country that ranked the third fastest-growing tourism destination in 2019.Iran seeks to reap a bonanza from its numerous tourist spots such as bazaars, museums, mosques, bridges, bathhouses, madrasas, mausoleums, churches, towers, and mansions, of which 26 are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.AM