Iran aims to woo 2 million Chinese tourists with visa-free entry ‘within weeks’

Iran will waive visas for Chinese visitors as early as the end of July in a bid to boost the economy, faltering under the weight of US sanctions.

Tourism officials have said they hope to attract as many as two million Chinese a year to Iran, a massive increase from the 52,000 Chinese visiting last year.

Iran’s economy has been sliding toward recession after the US reimposed sanctions last November, heavily targeting vital oil exports and international financial transactions.

The country’s GDP is expected to shrink by 6 percent this year, a further slide from last year’s 3.9 percent contraction; inflation could reach 40 percent, according to the International Monetary Fund.

In an earlier move to support tourism, Iran announced last August that it would no longer stamp visitors’ passports, allowing some to bypass a US entry ban on travellers who have visited the country.