The tourism industry in Iran, gearing for rapid growth following the lifting of economic sanctions, has got a shot in the arm with Emirates readying to launch a new service to Mashhad from September 1. This will be the second Iran gateway for Emirates, which already flies to Tehran.

Weekly flights According to an airline official, Emirates is to operate five weekly services to Mashhad, the second largest city in Iran that attracts more than two million foreign visitors every year.

Last year, Emirates carried more than 500,000 passengers to and from Iran. The airline is aiming to tap into the tourist traffic as well as the growing number of business visitors to the Persian country, a senior official said

Speaking to BusinessLine , Essa Sulaiman Ahmad, Vice-President - India & Nepal, Emirates, said that the addition of Iran to its global network would create new inbound and outbound markets for tourism, and draw in visitors from across the airline’s global network including cities in India, Europe, the GCC, as well as Far East destinations. The new service is also expected to offer connections to Stockholm and various cities in the UK that are home to large Iranian communities.

Tourist destination Airlines in Dubai are adding Iran to their routes to meet growing demand. Discount carrier flydubai has launched a major expansion drive to Iran, announcing five new destinations in addition to the two it already serves.

Post the 2013 elections, Iran has seen a spike in tourism as the government eased visa requirements. Iran has 17 UNESCO world heritage sites and plans to boost the contribution of travel and tourism to the national income to $8 billion by 2024 or 7.5 per cent of GDP, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.

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