Iran’s Kish may become popular attraction for Muslim tourists from Russia

Alexander Kurnosov, a member of the presidium of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, deputy director general of Academservice, said that Iran's Kish Island in the Persian Gulf could become an ideal place for Muslim tourists from Russia. A delegation of the Association visited the island, RIA Novosti reports.

The official reminded that Russia had a population of over 140 million people, about 8 million of them had international passports, about 5 million were annually visiting other countries, making about 15-16 million visits around the world. As of the census made in 2002, about 14.5 million people in Russia (about 10% of the population) were Muslims.

Kish is a small island in the south of Iran. It is the main beach resort of the country, fully focused on tourism. The island had a free economic zone for foreigners, mainly visitors from the UAE. Russians may enter Kish without visas. Hotels have no beaches of their own. There is a beach for men and a closed beach for women. The resort has few swimming pools, men and women have separate pools.