TEHRAN — Iran announced Wednesday that it will waive visa fees
for spectators of the
2022 World Cup finals, as it hopes to attract some of the
football fans flocking to nearby Qatar.
اضافة اعلان
“The Cabinet agreed to make visas free for spectators of
the 2022 World Cup in
Qatar who wish to visit Iran,” tweeted the spokesman of
the Iranian government, Ali Bahadori-Jahromi.
“This decision aims to encourage tourists to visit Iran
during the World Cup and boost the tourism industry there,” he added.
This comes after Qatari Transport Minister Jassim bin Saif
Al-Sulaiti on Sunday and Monday visited Iran’s Kish island and signed six
cooperation agreements, Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported.
Kish, a 92sq.km resort island with white sand beaches, is a
40-minute flight or six-hour boat ride from Doha.
“The Qataris are very interested in using Iran’s
infrastructure in the 2022 World Cup,” Iran’s Transport Minister Rostam
Ghassemi said Tuesday.
“Iran must use all the capabilities it has to benefit from
this event,” he added.
Key among the agreements was a deal to increase flights
between the countries, rising from 72 at present to potentially as many as 200
a day, said Mohammad Mohammadi, the head of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization.
The
Qatari transport minister visited the passenger
terminal of Kish International Airport, which is under construction, as well as
the commercial and passenger port, IRNA added.
“Iran’s contribution to the
World Cup will be in the areas
of air and sea transport and accommodation of foreign and Iranian passengers,”
Ghassemi said.
“We also plan to offer foreign fans and tourists during
their stay in Iran the opportunity to visit the country’s tourist gems.”
To encourage travel, Iran’s tourism ministry had said
earlier that visas could be waived for inbound visitors from Qatar during the
two months of World Cup.
Visitors could apply for free single or multi-entry passes
for 20 days during that period, the ministry said.
In January, Iran qualified for the World Cup finals, the
third in a row and their sixth overall.
Iran, who have never advanced beyond the
group stage, will face arch-foe the US and England in Group B.
Read more Sports
Jordan News