The head of the Iranian Tour Operators Association says that foreigners are worried about traveling to Iran, and if we remain indifferent, Iran will be removed from the list of travel destinations. Ebrahim Pourfaraj emphasized that the situation regarding the entry of foreign tourists into the country has not yet returned to the pre-1398 (2019) status. According to Pourfaraj, recent events have caused concerns among some of these companies and 'tour operators,' and currently, many foreign 'tour operators' have removed Iran from their list of travel destinations. From the perspective of this trade official, there is currently a risk that this trend may continue, and after a while, Iran's name may no longer be mentioned among travel destinations. The head of the Iranian Tour Operators Association stressed: 'Our work should not be based on the idea that, for example, 100,000 people from Iraq come to Iran, and this number is sufficient for us while we shut down other tourism markets.' The entry of foreign tourists into Iran has nearly reached zero since the protests last autumn. In this regard, on October 10, 2022, Mohsen Hajisaeid, the chairman of the board of the National Association of Tour Guides, announced that following the protests, countries such as Germany, Spain, South Africa, Brazil, and Australia completely canceled all their tourist tours to Iran. However, this was just the beginning, and with the subsequent arrest of foreign tourists in Iran under the pretext of participating in protests, concerns and warnings about traveling to Iran increased. In this context, the Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic claimed on October 30 that nine European nationals were arrested and accused them of 'espionage and creating unrest' in the country. At that time, several European countries, including Germany, also asked their citizens not to travel to Iran or to leave Iranian territory quickly. Mohsen Hajisaeid, on November 7, 2022, without mentioning the number of tourists arrested in Iran, said: 'Unfortunately, we witnessed that some foreign tourists who only took photos out of curiosity about the recent events in the country were arrested.'
A Trade Official: Foreigners Are Concerned About Traveling to Iran
Ebrahim Pourfaraj, head of the Iranian Tour Operators Association, warns that foreign tourists are increasingly concerned about traveling to Iran, leading many tour operators to remove Iran from their travel lists. The situation has worsened since the protests in 2022, with significant declines in tourist arrivals and increased arrests of foreign visitors, which could jeopardize Iran's tourism industry.
👥 Key Players
⚡ Actions
📰 What Happened
Foreign tour operators are increasingly concerned about traveling to Iran due to recent events.
- Ebrahim Pourfaraj announce foreign tourists, tour operators
- Iranian authorities arrest nine European nationals
- Germany, Spain, South Africa, Brazil, and Australia cancel tourist tours to Iran
💡 Why It Matters
📚 Background
Iran risks being removed from international travel destinations due to safety concerns.
📝 Key Evidence
🏷️ Entities Mentioned
Translated from the original and edited for English readers. View original source →
Translation confidence: 85%