Tehran Times - Iran tourism chief has said that the country will exempt tourism-related equipment from import tariffs in a bid to buttress the tourism industry.

The Iranian cabinet, on a Wednesday meeting headed by President Hassan Rouhani, approved that import tariffs to be exempted from tourism-related equipment and machinery in order to promote the travel industry, Ali-Asghar Mounesan said, IRNA reported.

The country hosted 6,074,580 foreign nationals during the first nine months of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 21, 2018) while the figure stood at 3,893,277 in the same period last year, based on official statistics compiled by the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization.

Iran embraces hundreds of historical sites such as bazaars, museums, mosques, bridges, bathhouses, madrasas, mausoleums, churches, towers, and mansions, of which 22 being inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

AFM/MG