Women drive half of Iran’s tourism sector: Minister
Iran’s Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Reza Salehi Amiri declared on Monday that women now shoulder “half of tourism capacity” in the country, urging a shift away from what he called “frozen” attitudes toward gender roles.
Speaking at a women’s tourism forum in Tehran, he pointed to hard numbers, noting that women hold 30–40% of hotel management jobs, run 60% of eco-tourism lodges, staff 30% of licensed tour guides and operate half of registered travel agencies, IRNA reported.
Salehi Amiri framed women’s presence as central to Iran’s tourism drive, insisting that, “The train of development will not reach its destination without half the population.”
He argued that women “deserve half of state capacities,” and said his ministry was committed to entrusting them with senior posts. “Whenever we handed responsibility to women, we saw success,” he told the gathering.
He pressed for an end to what he described as both “rigid conservatism” and “careless laxity,” urging instead a merit-based approach.
He warned against “the worst view,” an instrumental use of women’s abilities, stressing that no one had the right to treat them as a tool. “It is women’s right to occupy half of management positions,” he said, adding that Iranian women were motivated to prove their professional competence.
He also underlined that the government had already opened cabinet-level posts to women, contrasting it with the previous administration where such appointments were blocked.
Casting the week as a moment of pride, Salehi Amiri described it as “a week of celebration” for Iran’s tourism sector, with events staged nationwide.
He also dismissed talk of curbs on foreign arrivals, stating flatly that, “Neither the ministry nor the government has issued any directive restricting entry of foreign tourists.” If regional tensions abate, he forecast that arrivals could hit 9.5–10 million by March 2026, keeping the industry on track.
Push on medical tourism
Deputy Tourism Minister Anoushirvan Mohseni Bandpey, outlining foreign market priorities, said Iran is moving to re-enter Malaysia, a key South-East Asian hub. He described tourism as more than an economic activity, calling it a channel for “cultural dialogue and regional solidarity.” He set out three tracks for cooperation including health tourism, smart and digital travel services, and joint cultural and religious itineraries. Bandpei flagged the recent launch of a digital platform linking hospitals, tour operators and visa offices in Tehran, Fars and Khorasan to streamline medical tourism. He also cited an April 2025 surge of almost 50 % in foreign arrivals compared to the year before, a trend he said bolstered Iran’s target of 15 mn annual visitors under its Seventh Development Plan. The deputy confirmed that Salehi Amiri himself will head delegations to Basra, Baghdad and Karbala in October to pitch Iran as more than a pilgrimage stop. “The task,” he said, “is to turn transit pilgrims into tourists.”