Seventh Development Plan and Tourism Outlook; A Trade Official: "Attracting 15 Million Tourists" is Not Feasible

The head of the Iranian Tour Guides Association announced that currently, due to the low number of incoming foreign tourists and the limitation to nationals from countries such as China, Russia, and Iraq, achieving the vision of the Islamic Republic's "Seventh Development Plan" to "attract 15 million tourists" is not feasible. Mostafa Shafiei-Shakib, the head of the Iranian Tour Guides Association, told the ILNA news agency that currently, the majority of "incoming tours" are from "China and Iraq." According to him, most "incoming tourists from neighboring countries" are officially counted as "peddlers" who cross the borders of Iran to buy goods, but at the entry points, "these individuals are registered as tourists." On July 20, the French news agency reported that the Islamic Republic is trying to attract tourists from Arab countries bordering the Persian Gulf, Russia, and China to advance its "resistance economy." The report indicated that after the decrease in the number of European tourists due to tensions over the nuclear program and warnings from Western governments to their citizens, Iran has focused on attracting tourists from other regions. The head of the Iranian Tour Guides Association stated that generally, travelers from countries like "Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and even Iraq" cross the common borders they share with Iran and are looking to buy due to the "cheap goods on this side of the borders." This tourism official added, "Hotels, guides, or our agents do not benefit from these types of travelers. In fact, it can be said that the number of travelers from neighboring countries who can benefit Iranian tourism is very small." Ebrahim Pourfaraj, the head of the Iranian Tour Guides Association, stated on July 21 that foreigners are "worried" about traveling to Iran, and if we remain indifferent, Iran will be "removed" from the list of travel destinations. Mostafa Shafiei-Shakib, the head of the Iranian Tour Guides Association, noted that the country faces "many problems" in tourism infrastructure, adding, "We do not have enough airplanes. Turkish, Qatari, and Emirati airlines help us to some extent in this area." This tourism official also stated that "we face problems in the airport sector," mentioning that in the largest international airport in the country (Imam Khomeini Airport), there are only three baggage carousels on each side, totaling six, and "if five flights land at the same time, each passenger must wait at least two hours to receive their luggage." Amidst the increasing crisis of declining tourists in Iran's tourism industry, Ezzatollah Zarghami, the Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts of the Islamic Republic, responded on July 18 to the closure of tourism centers due to non-compliance with mandatory hijab laws, stating, "For now, public restrooms are the top priority for people!" Zarghami: We should provide special SIM cards to tourists so that if they are arrested, they can inform others. Zarghami's response to the closure of tourism centers over mandatory hijab: Public restrooms are the priority. Destruction of the historical fabric of Shiraz under the pretext of developing the shrine; emergence of a new economic holding along the Astan Quds Razavi. The Islamic Republic is striving to attract Arab, Russian, and Chinese tourists. A trade official: Foreigners are worried about traveling to Iran. Alireza Akhundi to tourists: Not going to Iran is the "least sacrifice" for freedom. The most visited museums and historical sites in Iran: The palaces of the Pahlavi kings and Persepolis.