Tourism in Iran is diverse, providing a range of activities from hiking and skiing in

the Alborz and Zagros mountains, to beach holidays by the Persian Gulf and the Caspian

Sea, but the main reason that tourist visit Iran is because of Iran Cultural and Iran History and
places such as Persepolis, Naghsh-e Rosta, Naghshe Jahan and other places in Iran also we
have near 22 World Cultural Heritage . The Iranian government has been making concerted
efforts to attract tourists to the various destinations in the country and arrivals have increased
during the past few years. Kish Island alone attracts around 1 million visitors per year, the
majority of whom are Iranian but the area also attracts many non-Iranian Muslims who like to
have beach holidays with Islamic style beaches where men and women use separate beaches .[3]
[4]

Before the Iranian revolution, tourism was characterized by significant numbers of visitors

traveling to Iran for its diverse attractions, the country boasts cultural splendours and a diverse
and beautiful landscape suitable for a range of activities.[3] Tourism declined dramatically during
the Iran–Iraq War in the 1980s.
Since the Iranian revolution in 1979, the majority of foreign visitors to Iran have been religious
pilgrims and business people. In Iran there are many Shi'ite Shrines, the two main ones
being Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad and Fatimah al-Ma'sūmah Shrine in Qom. Each year
millions of pilgrims from Iran and other Shi'ite countries visit these holy places.[3][5] Official figures
do not distinguish between those traveling to Iran for business and those coming for pleasure,
and they also include a large number of diaspora Iranians returning to visit their families in Iran or
making pilgrimages to holy Shia sites near Mashhad, Qom and else where .[3] Domestic
tourism in Iran is one of the largest in the world.[6] The government continues to project strong
rises in visitor numbers and tourism revenue for the foreseeable future, and plans to build an
additional 100 hotels to expand its currently limited stock.[3] In 2013, the number of foreign
tourists in Iran reached 4.76 million, contributing more than $2 billion to the national economy.[5]
[7]
 The strong devaluation of the Iranian Rial since early 2012 is also a positive element for
tourism in Iran. Over five million tourists visited Iran in the fiscal year of 2014-2015, ending March
21, four percent more year-on-year.[8]
According to a report published by World Travel and Tourism Council in 2015 the size of its
tourism industry – including cultural and ecotourism as major components of it – is estimated as
having the potential to create jobs for 1,285,500 and rise by 4.1% pa to 1,913,000 jobs in 2025.
Based on the report in the year of 2014 Travel & Tourism directly supported 413,000 jobs (1.8%
of total employment). This is expected to rise by 4.4% in 2015 and rise by 4.3% pa to 656,000
jobs (2.2% of total employment) by 2025.