Iran lifts visa requirements for Chinese tourists in order to attract more visitors to the country. While Chinese outbound trips reached 135 million in 2016, Iran’s share from Chinese tourists is barely 0.05 percent. In 2016, only 73,000 Chinese tourists visited Iran. Therefore, Iran has decided to lift the visa requirements to increase this figure.
Previously, while Mahan Air was permitted to fly to Europe, this airline used its capacity to offer connecting flights from Shanghai to destinations like Munich or Milano. Since 2018 that European countries revoked the flight permission, these routes were also cut.
Statistical Center of Iran has compared prices for certain foods in the end of the third Iranian month to a year ago. According to this report, a part from “eggs” everything is two or three times more expensive!
Potato prices have increased fourfold. Tomato-paste has become 3.5 times more expensive than a year ago, although fresh tomato prices have increase 140%. Sugar price has gone up by 119 percent. In between, only eggs have become slightly cheaper and shows 10 percent decrease in price.
Olive cultivation is expected to grow by 20 percent with respect to a year ago. The Ministry of Agriculture forecasts that 120,000 tons of olives to be harvested this year. So far 8000 tons of olive oil has been produced which is 1000 tons more than last year.
Last year, there have been 90,000 hectares dedicated to olive cultivation, where 62 percent of it has been productive. Under the plan of expanding olive cultivation, nearly 6200 hectares of new plots of land is going to become fertile.