Proposal to Eliminate Passports for Travel Between Iran and Turkey

Domestic news agencies report on a proposal to eliminate passports for travel of Iranian and Turkish tourists to both countries. This proposal was presented at a meeting of the joint technical committee for tourism cooperation between Iran and Turkey. What are the reasons for Iranians to travel to Turkey?

According to domestic news agencies on Monday, February 15 (the fifth day of Bahman month), the fifth meeting of the joint technical committee for tourism cooperation between Iran and Turkey was held with the presence of tourism deputies from both countries.

At this virtual meeting, tourism deputies from Iran and Turkey emphasized the importance of tourism exchanges between the two neighboring countries in the post-coronavirus era. According to domestic news agencies, the development of bilateral protocols to accelerate the resolution of challenges created for tourism businesses in both countries due to coronavirus pandemic restrictions was among the other main topics of this meeting.

Based on these reports, one of the issues raised by Turkey at this meeting was the proposal to eliminate passports for travel by citizens of both countries.

According to domestic news agencies, this proposal was presented in order to create balance in tourist exchange, and it was decided that this issue would be followed up through relevant authorities in a special manner.

The history of visa cancellation between Iran and Turkey goes back to 1963. Good neighborly relations between Iran and Turkey in that year led to the cancellation of visas between the two countries.

Number of Iranian tourists ranked fifth or sixth in Turkey

In the past decade, travel by Iranian citizens to Turkey has increased significantly; for spending holidays, for shopping, and for trade. According to statistics that Turkey released regarding the number of tourists from different parts of the world to this country in 2019, Iranian tourists were ranked fifth in terms of number; after Bulgaria, Germany, Georgia, and Russia.

Van, Istanbul, and Antalya have been the three main destinations for Iranian tourists in recent years. Last year, the conditions and restrictions resulting from the coronavirus pandemic had a significant impact on the number of tourists, including travel to Turkey. Domestic news agencies report that Iran dropped to the sixth place in terms of the number of tourists in Turkey in 2020.

In contrast, officials from Iran’s Cultural Heritage Organization’s tourism department stated that the number of Turkish tourists in Iran is not comparable to the number of Iranian travelers in Turkey.

Based on a report published by the Turkish Hotel Association in 2017, Iranian tourists stay on average 6 nights in Turkish hotels and spend an average of $1,000 per person. This is while the average spending of foreign tourists per person is $630 for this time period.

Iranians lead in property purchases and citizenship acquisition in Turkey

Iranians do not go to Turkey only for travel. Purchasing property in this country, including for obtaining citizenship, has increased among Iranians in recent years.

Data from Turkey’s General Directorate of Deeds and Cadaster shows that 6,694 foreign nationals obtained Turkish citizenship through property purchases during 2017-2019.

The number of Iranians in this two-year period, based on this report, is 1,475 cases and is ranked first. After Iranians, Iraqi nationals have registered the most cases of citizenship acquisition through property purchases in Turkey.

Comparison of tourism industry in Iran and Turkey

On average, approximately 12 percent of Turkey’s gross domestic product belongs to the tourism market. According to the article in “Dunya ya Iqtisad” newspaper, Turkey in 2019, with 12 percent growth, hosted more than 51 million foreign tourists and earned 30 billion dollars from this. Turkey hopes that with the existence of a coronavirus vaccine, it will attract up to 25 million foreign tourists next year.

In contrast, Iran’s tourism market, despite its unique tourist attractions, is not very prosperous. One of the reasons for this dullness is the lack of infrastructure and facilities necessary for foreign tourists to travel to this country and the limitations that foreign tourists, especially women, face.

The events of November and December 2019 were also, according to domestic experts, another heavy blow to attracting tourists to Iran.

Domestic sources say that in 2018, although Iran, by hosting 8 million foreign tourists, ranked 89th among the world’s tourist destinations, the spread of coronavirus in Iran brought the country’s tourism market to complete stagnation in 2020.

Source: DW