May 2, The Iran Project � France says it will double the number of Iranian tourists visiting the country in 2017 in an attempt to deepen bilateral ties with the Islamic Republic.


Following French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault's visit to Iran on January 30 in which he said France will double the visas available for Iranians in 2017 to respond to US President Donald Trump's controversial travel ban order which has targeted Iranians � as well as nationals from six other Muslim countries, Iran and France have taken steps to develop the two countries' tourism relations.

In a meeting with their Iranian counterparts, French tourism officials announced that the country has a one-year program to increase the number of Iranian tourists by 80, 000 in 2017.

Karim Mekachera, Regional Director for Atout France also said attending the workshop held in Tehran to promote the number of Iranian tourists to France that the country issued about 40,000 visas to Iranians in 2016 and will double the visas available for Iranian nationals in the near future.

Increasing the number of tourists visiting France from the Middle East, North Africa, particularly Iran and Turkey, is on the top of Paris tourism programs, Mekachera added.

Since the removal of international sanctions against Iran, several French tourism delegations have traveled to Iran to develop tourism cooperation.