Hossein Nikounam, Head of the Board of Health Tourism Professional Association of Khorasan Razavi, said on Saturday that last year (March 21, 2018 – March 20, 2019), Mashad's health tourists came from 56 nationalities, with majority of them belonging to Iraqi and Afghan nationals.
He said each of these two countries accounted for more than 40% of health tourists arriving in the city.
Rest of Mashad health tourists are from other countries including Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, Azerbaijan and also European countries, he added.
The Head of the Board of Health Tourism Professional Association of Khorasan Razavi in his interview added that last year (March 21, 2018 – March 20, 2019), more than 23,000 foreign tourist-patients received surgical treatment and 105,000 received outpatient services in Mashhad.
*** Mashad; Iran's most popular religious tourist destination
Mashad is located in northeastern Iran and is close to the borders of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. Mashad is 900 km away from Tehran, the capital of Iran.
It used to be the major oasis along the ancient Silk Road and also the capital of Iran during the Afsharid dynasty. Mashad is one of the most famous cities in Iran which receives the biggest number of tourists. Every year, almost 345,000 people visit this city.
It is mostly known as a religious city because many tourists come to visit the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza (AS), the eighth Imam of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) Infallible Household. However, there are many other great tourist attractions in Mashhad.
The abundance of luxury hotels, traditional hotels and relatively cheap hotels in Mashhad has made it easy for domestic and foreign tourists to stay in this city.
Mashad International Airport is one of the most convenient airports in Iran, and thousands of passengers daily arrive in Mashad through this airport, while many passengers travel to the city by train, bus or private car.
Recently too, foreign health tourists who enjoyed Iranian medical services in the last Iranian year (March 21, 2018 – March 20, 2019) stood at 500,000 to 550,000, Head of the office for health tourism of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education Saeed Hashemzadeh said on Monday, Nov 18, 2019.
Saeed Hashemzadeh said that the number of foreign health tourists visiting Iran in the current Iranian year will definitely be higher, adding that about 72,000 of the patients were hospitalized and the rest received outpatient services.
Hashemzadeh said that Iran can host up to 2.5 million health tourists every year.
He said that 70 percent of the patients coming to Iran demand services in obstetrics and gynecology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, cardiology, plastic surgery, and 30 percent in other branches of medicine.
He added that the figures are variable in terms of alternative medicine services provided by the hospitals and other medical centers.
6125**1424
Follow us on Twitter @IrnaEnglish
Your Comment