Iran looks to develop tourism and attract 20 million annual visitors

Freed from United Nations sanctions, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran is looking to dramatically expand the country’s tourism industry to attract 20 million visitors a year and generate US$30 billion in revenue.

Iran has earned at least $6.1 billion from tourism and is currently enjoying a surge in international visitor arrivals and is hoping to use its culture, historic buildings, ancient sites and rugged scenery to expand this further.

The Republic is also hoping that its weak currency and relative safety will help compete with regional tourism destinations.

However, the country does face challenges in relation to its infrastructure and banking restrictions with visiting foreigners currently have to go through complicated third parties in other countries to use credit cards. The use of mainstream online hotel reservation platforms is also problematic.

Iranians are positive about how the lifting of sanctions will allow them to develop tourism businesses. Morteza Bekhradi, the owner of Bekhradi’s Historical House boutique hotel in Isfahan, hoped that the booking process would become easier.

Bekhradi explained “our current process for reservations is only carried out via exchange of emails with our guests, and our rooms are booked without any guarantee. It is of course not a convenient situation for tourists and for us, as people working in the tourism field.”

Bekhradi - who transformed the traditional 17th century house into a hotel that opened in 2005 - said that Iranians are “more than eager” to share their culture and history with foreigners, and that more internal and/or foreign investments in tourism would make the country’s transport infrastructure better.

Currently there are about 1,100 hotels throughout Iran, but only 29 of them are listed as five-star and 75 as four-star hotels, while the country plans to triple the number of hotels in the country before 2025.

Ali Araghchi, founder of an unofficial tourism campaign for Iran, ‘Must See Iran’ (mustseeiran.com) said he hoped to be able to show Iranian hospitality to the world, and claimed that foreigners already realise Iran has "2,500 years of culture and that our people are not terrorists.”

Some 300,000 photos have been shared on social media platforms as part of the ‘Must See Iran’ campaign, showing the country’s dramatic mountains, clear Gulf seas and authentic bazaars.

 Iran has 19 sites on the UNESCO World Heritage list – the most of any Middle Eastern country – with two new additions in 2015; Maymand in central Iran, and the archaeological site of Susa.

Images: Iran's Mt Damavand (top) and Bekhradi’s Historical House boutique hotel in Isfahan (below).

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