Latest Iran Tourism News

In the past four years, Iran’s tourism suffered from various upheavals including the U.S. sanctions aimed at crippling Iran’s economy, flash floods in March 2019, the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani, the downing of a Ukrainian jetliner, and ultimately the coronavirus pandemic.

An Iranian tourism official says the disruption of internet enforced by the government amid protests in Iran have cost the country’s tourism industry dearly.

“It’s not good times for the tourism industry,” Hormatollah Rafi’ee, the president of the Association of Air Transport and Tourist Agencies of Iran, told Entekhab new outlet on Sunday, adding that in the past 38 days, nearly 90 percent of all incoming tours to the country had been cancelled.

TEHRAN – Iran ranked 19th out of 185 countries in the 2021 Travel & Tourism Total Contribution to GDP Index, according to a biennial report released by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).

The Islamic Republic comes 19th with $48.1 billion in the 2021 Travel & Tourism Total Contribution to GDP Index, standing between South Korea and Switzerland, which were ranked 18th and 20th with GDP contributions of $48.8 billion and $44.5 billion, respectively.

The U.S., China, Germany, Japan, and Italy were named the top five countries of the same index. The figures from WTTC, which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector, come from its 2021 Economic Impact Report (EIR), which lays bare the devastating impact of COVID-19 travel restrictions.

Nashtifan is situated on a semi-arid windswept plain northeast Iran, some 40 kilometers from the Afghan border. Along its southern edge, a towering earthen wall houses series of vertical axis windmills used for milling grain into flour.

The area is known for its seasonal strong winds, and in fact, the name Nashtifan is derived from words that translate to “storm’s sting.”

Constructed of clay, wood, and straw, those ancient gears which are inherited from preceding generations, are perched on a cliff overlooking the village, milling grain for centuries.

Due to a rapid development of eco-lodges in the country, some have reportedly failed to meet officially declared regulations, mainly when it comes to the architectural criteria.

At the moment, a total of 536 eco-lodges are dotted across Iran, showing a sharp increase since 2013 when the number stood at 30.

Today’s warzone is tomorrow’s tourist attraction. … Iran is already on its way to becoming the next one. It will be a conventional destination before too long, provided the US’ sanctions don’t change things too drastically. The local people there are too friendly, the historical and religious sites too amazing, for this place to stay off the mainstream radar for too much longer.

For many years the news coverage of Iran was overwhelmingly negative, and so was the image of the country. No one talked about its ancient history or rich culture, its food and traditions.

In recent months, traveling Iran became astonishing popular among European tourists. But how can the sudden interest in Iranian culture and heritage be explained?

A BA spokeswoman said: “The Iranians have been extremely helpful in setting up this important new route and have been as keen as we are for the service to start. Tehran is an important destination for British Airways and we wanted to ensure that the service we offered met the highest standards our customers rightly expect of us from day one.”

The Islamic Republic of Iran is a destination rarely found near the top of travellers’ bucket lists.

British Airways is set to resume direct flights to Iran, running six round trip flights per week with more flights scheduled to be added later this year. Some sanctions against Iran were lifted earlier this year as part of the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. The first direct flight to Tehran in nearly four years is scheduled to leave London’s Heathrow Airport at 9.10pm on Thursday (1 September) with arrival the following morning.

The Holy Defense Museum may not be the first place travelers would seek out when visiting Iran.
Nevertheless, and despite its less-than-glamorous name, the Holy Defense Museum in Tehran does offer something different: It’s like a war memorial for the digital age.

Cox & Kings has urged agents to consider Iran as an alternative to struggling North African destinations such as Egypt and Tunisia.