Reduced sanctions may be breaking down the boundaries between Iran and the Western world, but the veil between the Middle Eastern destination and travellers has been down for some time.
According to tour operators, awareness of the destination’s travel appeal has grown amongst Australians and many have even added it to the bucket list for the coming years.
Among those operators is Intrepid Travel, which according to MD, James Thornton, experienced high demand for the destination in 2015/16, with itineraries selling out “months in advance”.
Image: Iran Tourism/Facebook
Over the past year, Intrepid’s passenger numbers to Iran jumped by 150 percent compared to the same period last year. The operator even added a few extra departures to meet demand.
Thornton attributed the growing interest in Iran to new accessibility and friendly locals.
“Iran is probably one of the most stable countries in the Middle East right now and Australians want to see it.”
James Thornton, Intrepid Managing Director
Image: Facebook/Iran Tourism
Tempo Holidays and Cox & Kings, which resumed tours in the destination this month after a five-year hiatus, say their forward bookings for the destination are also strong, particularly amongst the most “discerning and adventurous clientele”.
Product Manager, Lindsay Cowan told KarryOn that Australians are drawn to the destination’s history and culture, particularly in Isfahan, Shiraz and Persepolis.
“The Persian period had huge impact on world history, especially in architecture, the arts and culture.”
Lindsay Cowan, Cox & Kings Product Manager
“As soon as the embargo was lifted, people were asking for it [Iran].”
Overall tourism to Iran has significantly increased over the last few years with 4.67 million people visiting in 2013 compared to 1.76 million in 2006.
This year, the country’s government is aiming to welcome more than 20 million tourists, a number which will be achieved through various tourism projects.
Among the initiatives is hosting the country’s first International Tourism Conference, which was held last month. There’s also a new five-star 130-meter property opening on the Caspian Sea.
Iran is home to 19 UNESCO World Heritage Sites – the most of any Middle Eastern country.
