 "Tourists take a selfie near the water fountains on Naqsh-e-Jahan square in Isfahan, Iran. Photo: Bloomberg")
For all of Iran’s attractions — breathtaking scenery and numerous World Heritage sites, among other things — there are plenty of downsides to vacationing in the Islamic republic. Alcohol is forbidden. There is very little night life, at least in public. All women, including visiting foreigners, are obliged to wear a head scarf.
Then there are Iran’s politics: its strident anti-Western stance; seemingly random arrests of people with dual citizenship; hundreds of executions every year; and a rather loose definition of human rights.
None of that has changed, but suddenly Iran is a booming destination for Europeans seeking an adventurous vacation, particularly people from Spain, France and Scandinavia. Even tourism from the United States is picking up, industry insiders say.
“I only knew Iran through the image the government presents in the media,” said Magali Magnim, a 33-year-old video technician from Lyon, France. She and two friends were in Isfahan, one of Iran’s most historic cities, as part of a three-week tour. “But everything is so different from what I expected.”
What surprised her was that it felt safe. “Here on the streets, I feel more safe than in France,” Magnim said. “I feel everybody I meet can be trusted.”
For many tourists, a trip to Iran was always more than just a holiday. It was a journey into the unknown, with a frisson of danger added. For decades, news coverage of the country was overwhelmingly negative, led by such topics as the Islamic Revolution in 1979 and the ensuing hostage crisis; the death sentence issued against the British writer Salman Rushdie; the crackdown on protests in 2009; and accusations that its leaders were trying to build a nuclear weapon. For outsiders, Iran has been a dark and scary place.
What was often lost was the other side of Iran: its ancient history, its young and open-minded population, its food and culture. After the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers, which led to the lifting of most sanctions and a reconnection to the world, the sharpest edges seem to have been taken off. Long suspicious of foreigners, Iranian officials — led by the avuncular-looking President Hassan Rouhani — are now welcoming them.
The number of Western tourists, who are visiting, is hard to gauge accurately. Officials say more than 5.2 million tourists visited last year, and more are expected this year. But that counts the millions of Shiite pilgrims, who come to the country annually.
In comparison, Turkey, the region’s tourism powerhouse, used to receive around 20 million tourists a year before an increase in terrorist attacks, a dispute with Moscow over a downed fighter plane and a failed coup attempt cut into the total.
“In our travel agency, we catered to a thousand Westerners last year and will have well over 2,000 Western visitors this year,” said Hossein Ramtin at the Marco Polo Iran Touring Company, one of the largest tour operators in Iran.
© 2016 New York Times News Service
