A policy on fee visas for Indonesian citizens who want to visit Iran is expected to strengthen relations between peoples of the two countries.

Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has made a policy on free visas for Indonesian citizens who wish to visit the country in  West Asia.

“We have identified various problems that have been a major obstacle in strengthening and enhancing the people-to-people contact between the two countries,” Iranian Ambassador to Indonesia Mohammad Boroujerdi said at an opening ceremony of 'Iran's Tourism Roadmap Southeast Asia 2024'. organized by the Iranian Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, here on Thursday.

Therefore, the Indonesian government has made the issuance of visas easier by providing online visa services for Iranian citizens who wish to visit Indonesia.  Meanwhile, Indonesian citizens who want to go to Iran need no visas," Mohammad Boroujerdi explained.

Indonesian citizens' passports will not even have any stamps on them. "Indonesian citizens will receive the same treatment as Iranian citizens when passing through immigration," the Iranian ambassador said, while emphasizing that this was good news for the Indonesian people, including tourism industry players in both countries.

Ambassador Boroujerdi further said that another obstacle in strengthening relations between people is the absence of direct flights connecting Indonesia and Iran.

"This issue has been discussed, and currently finalization is being carried out to open permits for Tehran-Jakarta and Tehran-Denpasar flights," he pointed out.

Apart from these two major steps, the event also made possible the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) documents between the private sectors from the two countries.

'Iran's Tourism Roadmap Southeast Asia 2024' is also a way to introduce the country's attractions to the Indonesian people, with business matching sessions which are expected to increase the number of tourist visits between the two countries.

To introduce Iran more deeply to the Indonesian people, continued Ambassador Boroujerdi, the Iranian Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts is preparing a number of promotional materials or contents showing the appeal of the 'land of the Mullahs', in various languages, including Indonesian.

Meanwhile, Iran's Deputy Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, Ali Ashgar Shalbafian, emphasized that Iran is a country rich in world cultural heritage.

"Iran has 27 cultural heritage sites recognized by UNESCO, all of which are spread across more than 100 locations," he noted.

Some of the tangible cultural heritages that have received global recognition include the Tchogha Zanbil Temple which was built around 1250 BC, Persepolis and its landscape which was built between 518 and 516 BC, and Bisotun which is an archaeological site with the Bisotun Inscription, which was made in 521 BC by Darius the Great.

'Iran's Tourism Roadmap Southeast Asia 2024' in Jakarta brings together Iranian and Indonesian tourism industry players who have joined the Association of the Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies (ASITA). This event was also supported by the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy.

Reporting by Indonesia Window