Top Hotels in Iran’s Major Cities Booked by Tourists Through 2016

Top four and five star hotels in Iran’s major cities including Isfahan, Yazd, Tehran, Shiraz and Ahvaz have been booked by foreign tourists through 2016, president of Iran’s tour operators association Ibrahim Poorfaraj  says.

“Four and five star hotels in Tehran, Isfahan, Yazd and Shiraz have no vacancies through 2016. In Ahvaz, there is only a four star hotel which is booked. The reason for this is that the entry of foreign tourists to Iran has grown over the past years.” Mehr News Agency quoted Poorfaraj as saying.

“Large tour operators around the world, currently, are contracting with us. This was most welcome after the nuclear deal.” Poorfaraj added.

Iran, host to many unique cultural treasures largely unseen by western eyes, is expecting a significant rise in the number of tourists visiting the country in the wake of historic nuclear deal.

According to Poorfaraj,  Iran now is facing a shortage of top hotels and it takes three years to build a hotel.

“We argue that we should start to give special funds to build new hotels”, He reminded.

Week-end’s evening at the Abbasi Hotel – Isfahan

Last week, UAE-based Cristal Hotels announced that Iran will become one of the region’s most lucrative hotel development markets.

With an ambitious annual visitor target of 20 million by 2025 (a five-fold increase), Cristal Hotels would be seeking to partner with local firms to expand its portfolio in Iran, Weekly Magazine Arabian Business quoted President of the Cristal Group Peter Blackburn as saying.

President Hassan Rouhani’s government is taking fresh measures to ease or abolish visa requirements for most foreign visitors and build as many as 200 new hotels, as existing accommodation is insufficient to cater for the spike in tourism that has occurred since his election in 2013.

Last month, Iran revoked visa requirements for nationals of 7 countries including Turkey, Lebanon, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Bolivia, Egypt and Syria as part of its plans to boost tourism industry in the country.

Under the new visa requirement regulations, citizens from these countries can stay in Iran without visa from 15 to 90 days.

Iran’s cabinet also passed a new resolution recently, extending Iran Airport Visa or Visa On Arrival (VOA) from 14 to 30 days for foreign tourists.

Tehran Ferdowsi International Grand Hotel

Iran has attached considerable significance to its booming tourism industry in recent years.

The country is seen as one of the world’s top potential tourist destinations as it holds countless ancient sites.

Iran is home to 19 historic sites which have been inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List.

It has a diverse landscape and its tourism industry offers a myriad of recreational opportunities.

They range from hot mineral water showers in the northwest to hiking and skiing in the Alborz mountains to magnificent architectural sight-seeing in the center and beach holidays in the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea.

Apart from its glorious ancient sites, the country’s allure lies in its people’s reputation for hospitality.

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