Iran’s tourism industry is facing challenges.
More than 85% of trips by tourists from European, American and Asian countries have been canceled, Jamshid Hamzezadeh, the head of the Iranian Hoteliers Association, told Iran’s semiofficial ILNA news agency.
In recent months, some countries have advised their nationals not to travel to Iran and have asked those already in Iran to leave. Meanwhile, Iran’s arrests of several foreign nationals on unknown charges may have caused travelers to rethink their plans to visit Iran.
Hamzezadeh said, “Iran’s hotel industry has faced various crises since 2018, including floods, rains, the high price of gasoline, and the spread of the coronavirus.”
He said most hoteliers are “spending out of pocket” to cover their expenses and some are even facing challenges paying salaries.
Shahrokh Mohammadzadeh, the head of Iran’s Union of Inns, told ILNA that the number of people traveling to Iran has decreased by 50%. In addition, he said, that people who do travel to Iran are met with significantly higher hotel room rates.
The Tehran Times, an English-language newspaper generally supportive of the Iranian government, quoted an official with Iran’s tourism ministry as saying both foreign and domestic tourism has decreased.
The official, Seyyed Mostafa Fatemi, also said Iranian government restrictions on the internet have hurt tour operators' ability to advertise.
