By Kayhan Life Staff
Iran possesses considerable potential to attract tourists, and the depreciation of its currency is potentially an incentive to foreign visitors. Yet the country’s tourism sector is stagnating because of stringent regulations, limited freedoms for tourists, concerns about safety, and travel advisories issued by other nations to their citizens.
Trade union activists report foreign tourists are reluctant to visit Iran.
In a recent interview with Khabar Online, a news outlet based in Tehran, Mohammad Ali Ashraf-Vaghefi, who previously served as vice president of the Iranian Tour Operators Association (ITOA) and currently manages a tour company, noted that the only foreign visitors coming to Iran are primarily from Arab nations, particularly Iraq.
“Iran’s inbound tourism is facing significant challenges and has nearly come to a halt,” Ashraf-Vaghefi said. “At present, virtually no tourist groups from Europe or America are visiting Iran, with the tourism market primarily consisting of Russians and Chinese travelers, who are also arriving in much smaller numbers than before.”
“This decline has reached a stage where even the upcoming spring season, typically the peak time for tourism in Iran, is affected,” Ashraf-Vaghefi noted. “Many large tour operators who previously booked Iranian tours months in advance are now hesitant to operate in the Iranian market. Consequently, we have effectively lost spring season as well.”
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“Inbound tourism to Iran has nearly ceased, except for visitors from neighboring countries,” Ashraf-Vaghefi explained. “Currently, only tourists from Arab nations, particularly Iraq, are traveling to Iran. In contrast, European tourists, who constituted a significant market for our company and many tour operators, are virtually nonexistent.”
Ashraf-Vaghefi noted that the only Europeans visiting Iran are primarily those engaged in business activities, and that they do not qualify as cultural or group tourists.
“For instance, a Greek traveler recently visited Iran for business purposes. However, this type of travel is significantly different from organized group tourism,” Ashraf-Vaghefi said.
“One of our primary challenges is ensuring a sense of safety for foreign tourists. While our country is safe, foreign visitors often do not feel secure,” Ashraf-Vaghefi explained. “Generally, unforeseen events and occurrences in the region have resulted in negative perceptions, and various reports from the Middle East have had direct and indirect impacts on Iran.”
“Incidents in Syria, Yemen, or Lebanon significantly influence Iranian tourism more than they do in neighboring countries like Jordan,” Ashraf-Vaghefi noted. “This is attributed to Iran’s direct involvement in regional matters, where news about these events shapes global public perception.”
“Previously, we attracted tourists from North and South America, East Asia (including countries like China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand), as well as Europe (notably Germany and Spain), but currently our primary markets, particularly the German market, have been shut down,” Ashraf-Vaghefi added.
It appears that the Islamic Republic’s authorities are not particularly keen on attracting European tourists, concentrating their efforts on countries like China and Iraq. This is notable given that the Islamic Republic’s Seventh Development Plan — a five-year strategic framework detailing the nation’s economic, social, cultural, and environmental objectives — aims to welcome 15 million tourists in 2027.
Mustafa Shafiei-Shakib, an activist in the tourism union, expressed concerns about the tourism sector last year, arguing that relying solely on visitors from China, Russia, and Iraq made it impossible to reach a target of 15 million tourists. Shafiei-Shakib noted that most tours currently coming to Iran are from China and Iraq, and that incoming tourism typically peaks in the spring and fall seasons.
“If we consider these six months when tourist tours occur weekly, accommodating 200 to 300 people or managing one or two flights is feasible,” Shafiei-Shakib explained. “However, if there are four or five passenger planes arriving simultaneously, significant accommodation challenges will arise. This is because tourists usually prefer their own lodging choices and cannot be compelled to stay in 3-star hotels or eco-resorts; they generally seek accommodations in four- and five-star hotels, which are limited in number within Iran.”
The tourism infrastructure in Iran has not progressed adequately in recent years, leading to deficiencies that have negatively impacted the influx of tourists.
“We are encountering many challenges regarding tourism infrastructure,” Shafiei-Shakib noted. “Our fleet of aircraft is inadequate. While we receive some assistance from Turkey, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in this regard, we continue to struggle with air transportation issues, which compel us to rely on foreign airlines for part of our transport needs.”
“Additionally, we face difficulties at the airport level; for instance, Imam Khomeini Airport, the largest international airport in Iran, has only three conveyor belts on each side, totaling six. Consequently, if five flights arrive simultaneously, passengers may have to wait at least two hours to collect their luggage,” Shafiei-Shakib added.
There are significant concerns regarding the accuracy of tourist statistics in Iran, specifically concerning individuals who visit for leisure and tourism purposes, thereby contributing to the tourism sector’s revenue. Government reports often include individuals who enter the country through land borders for purposes such as trading goods or visiting family members on their tourist counts. However, these individuals typically do not engage with or spend money within the tourism industry.
According to Shafiei-Shakib, most tourists from neighboring countries are small retailers who primarily enter Iran to purchase goods. Although these individuals are officially recorded as tourists at border entry points, those in the tourism sector believe they do not qualify as accurate tourists.
“Travelers from Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and even Iraq frequently cross into Iran due to the lower prices of goods available at the borders,” Shafiei-Shakib explained. “Instead of using authorized accommodation facilities, they typically stay with relatives and friends or camp in tents near border markets before returning home. Consequently, Iranian hotels, guides, and travel agencies do not benefit financially from this type of traveler.”
“It can be concluded that the number of travelers from neighboring countries who contribute positively to Iranian tourism is quite limited,” Shafiei-Shakib added.
The significant downturn in the tourism sector has led to a loss of human resources.
Mohsen Haji-Saeed, the chair of the board of directors of the Iran Federation of Tourist Guide Association (IFTGA), said last February that “approximately 30 percent of professional guides in tourism have either switched careers, left the profession, or emigrated due to the crises experienced over recent years, delayed support measures, and the Plan and Budget Organization’s resistance to addressing government and public demands.”
“Many professional guides involved in various tourism sectors, such as cultural tourism and those who speak English as well as other European languages like German, French, and Italian, are encountering significant difficulties,” Haji-Saeed said. “Many of these individuals have emigrated, resulting in many becoming unemployed and compelled to switch careers.”
“While sanctions in our country pose challenges for attracting tourists, the primary concern lies in the travel advisory against visiting Iran,” Haji-Saeed explained. “We have not yet held discussions on this matter, either with the Foreign Ministry or the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts, regarding the possibility of lifting these advisories.”
“Occasionally, we observe actions taken by officials that are unproductive and merely frustrate the activists within this sector,” Haji-Saeed remarked.
