Tourism sector plagued by soaring prices, internet disruptions
Iran’s tourism sector is facing significant challenges as prices surge and internet access remains disrupted, said Hormatollah Rafiei, head of the Air Travel and Tourism Services Association.
The Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts has pledged to restore internet access for select travel agencies within days, he added.
Rafiei stated that these outages have completely crippled agencies’ ability to issue tickets, book hotels and tours, and process cancellations.
He highlighted the precarious state of the sector, noting that tourism has yet to recover following recent unrest and that many countries now view Iran as an unstable region, severely curtailing tourist exchanges.
Rafiei also revealed that airfare prices within Iran jumped by a sudden 60% just one week before the recent protests began.
He attributed this increase to deliberate supply restrictions by authorities, believing it was intended to inflate prices. “When prices were reasonable, there was little enthusiasm for air travel. But now, with these prices, no one can afford to travel.”
The crisis has led to a dramatic rise in prices on international routes still serviced by Iranian carriers.
Rafiei reported that a Tehran-Dubai ticket, previously sold for 40 to 60 million rials, has skyrocketed to over 500 million rials. Tehran-Istanbul fares have reached between 800 and 900 million rials – a tenfold increase he condemns as exploitative given the country’s economic climate.
Rafiei emphasized, “Given the public’s lack of travel motivation and the challenging economic conditions, there should be no exploitation through selling tickets at prices many times higher than before.”