Speaking to FNA, Deputy Head of Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization Manouchehr Jahanian said Iran has attracted 1.2 million tourists from the Persian Gulf littoral states, including Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, the UAE and Qatar during the first 10 month of the current Iranian year.
He added that the figure shows a 58% growth compared with the same period last year.
Jahanian added that Iran had earned a $2bln income from these tourists.
A US newspaper wrote in November that Iran's tourism industry has flourished and the number of foreign tourists visiting Iran has increased in recent years despite the US-led sanctions targeting the country's economy.
"The demand by foreign tourists to visit Iran has gone up," The Washington Post said in an article titled 'Tourism a Bright Spot for Iran' by Jason Rezaian.
It noted that one of the reasons such boom in Iran's tourism industry is that the foreign purchasing power is at an all-time high in Iran due to a rise in the value of dollar against Iran's national currency, rial.
Hence, international travelers sensing a good deal are venturing to a country that they have not traveled to before, the daily said.
Although Iran's travel industry still has not reached what many Iranians think could be its true potential, the trend in recent years has been one of growth exceeding global averages.
From 2004 to 2010, the annual increase in tourists visiting foreign countries was 3.2 percent worldwide, according to the UN World Tourism Organization. Iran's figures over the same period show tourism in Iran grew at a much faster clip (12.7 percent).
