Tehran Times � Traffic of passengers between Iran and Azerbaijan at Bileh Savar border crossing has increased by 23 percent in the first four months of the current Iranian calendar year (started on March 21) from a year earlier, a local official has said.

A total of 250,053 Iranians and 235,031 foreign nationals arrived Iran via the border during the four-month period, Farnam Hamed said, CHTN reported.

He put the number of outbound passengers at 20,783 and 229,368 respectively for Iranian and foreign nationals.

The increase in the border traffic is mainly related to Azerbaijani people traveling to Ardebil for three reasons of buying commodities, medical treatments, and family reunions, the official said.

Iran and Azerbaijan have various traditions and customs in common. For instance, both nations celebrate Noruz; an ancient Persian festival, which usually falls on March 21st every year.

Nearly 7.8 million foreign nationals visited Iran during the past Iranian calendar year 1397 (ended on March 20), showing a 52.5 percent increase year on year. The Islamic Republic hosted 5.1 million travelers in 1396.

People from Iraq, Republic of Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Turkey and Pakistan respectively constituted the highest travelers to Iran, visiting for medical, pilgrimage and cultural heritage purposes in 2018, according to data compiled by the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization.