Golden Train of European Tourists Due in Iran Tuesday

The Directorate said the Golden Train will enter Iran from the northwestern Razi border point in Tabriz, the provincial capital of East Azerbaijan.

Its European passengers will first arrive on a plane in Tabriz and will then use the train to continue their journey into the Iranian cities and towns.

They are scheduled to visit Zanjan, Kashan, Isfahan, Sadat Shahr, Shiraz, Yazd, and Mashhad.

Due to security conditions in Turkey, the train will arrive in Iran without any passengers first

The first and the second Golden Trains brought European tourists to Iran last year.

This comes as Iran plans to launch the electronic visa (e-visa) program to further boost tourist arrivals.

Head of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization Masoud Soltanifar said electronic visa for tourists will be issued officially by the end of 2016.

“Iran issues 30-day visa for tourists from 190 countries upon arrival at its airports. However, that could be extended to another 15 days,” he said last week.

“We seek visa waiver programs with a number of countries to boost tourism,” he said, adding that tourists will soon be able to enter Iran without hassle as they can apply for visa online and print the e-visa on their own.

According to the official, the e-visa program is the key initiative to help accomplish the government’s goal of further expanding and developing the tourism industry, as well as strengthening diplomatic relations with other nations.