India on Friday advised its citizens against travelling to Iran and Israel until further notice in view of the “prevailing situation in the region”. The advisory from the foreign ministry came amid Iran’s threats to retaliate against a suspected Israeli airstrike on its embassy in Syria this month.
Countries including the US and Russia have issued similar travel advisories for their staff and citizens in the region.
In an advisory, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also urged the Indians residing in Iran and Israel to exercise utmost precautions about their safety and restrict their movements to minimum.
“In view of the prevailing situation in the region, all Indians are advised not to travel to Iran or Israel till further notice,” the MEA said.
“The north is empty of visitors these days,” Safi Maklada, the Negev and Galilee Authority’s Druze and Circassian tourism coordinator, told The Press Service of Israel. “You won’t find anyone around except for the soldiers doing their duty, guarding the border and the communities, and their families dropping by for a visit.”
“All those who are currently residing in Iran or Israel are requested to get in touch with Indian Embassies there and register themselves. They are also requested to observe utmost precautions about their safety and restrict their movements to the minimum,” it added. It is feared that retaliation by Iran can widen the six-month old conflict between Iran-backed Hamas militants and Israel in Gaza.
The US has reached out to the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar and Iraq, asking them to urge Iran to lower tensions with Israel, as part of its efforts to contain the conflict.
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Iranian Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Ezzatollah Zarghami has said the Iranian Cabinet has decided to unilaterally cancel visa requirements for visitors from India. Iran on Wednesday decided to waive visa requirements for 33 countries.
Speaking to reporters after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Zarghami said the decision is aimed at boosting tourism arrivals and attracting more visitors from countries around the world.
He said efforts to boost tourism can neutralize Iranophobia campaigns.
Recently Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam have waived Visa requirements for Visitors from India. India has one of the fastest growing market for Outbound Tourism India with a recent McKinsey analysis showing 13 million outbound Indian tourists in 2022.
Indonesia is considering granting visa-free entry to nationals of 20 countries, including the United States, China, Australia, India, South Korea, Germany, Britain and France, to boost its tourism and economy, its tourism minister said on Thursday. The aim of this, he said, is to boost economy, increase tourism and foreign investment.
The 33 countries approved for Iran’s new visa-waiver program are as follows:
India, Russian, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Mauritania, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Seychelles, Indonesia, Darussalam, Japan, Singapore, Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brazil, Peru, Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia and Belarus.
Earlier, Iran had visa waiver programs for visitors from Turkiye, Republic of Azerbaijan, Oman, China, Armenia, Lebanon and Syria.
According to the latest statistics, the number of foreign arrivals in Iran reached 4.4 million during the first eight months of the current Iranian year (started on March 21), an increase of 48.5% compared to the same period last year.
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