The news of the past few months has been full of events in Iran. First there was the nuclear accord. Yesterday was the so-called “implementation day”, when American sanctions on Iran would be loosened to a large degree. Last week 10 American sailors were captured in Iranian waters (it’s still not 100% clear how they got there) and were then released 14 hours later.
And also yesterday four Iranian-Americans plus one other American, all of whom had been held in Iranian prisons, were released in a prisoner exchange.
How will all of these recent events affect American tourism in Iran? The short answer is that American tourism in Iran should increase. Our own business has been increasing and we expect that, over all, more Americans will be visiting Iran. We have heard that tours offered by the New York Times, which only cost twice as much as the similar tours we offer, have been sold out. And this was before recent political events.
We certainly hope that any fears that potential American tourists have about visiting Iran will be diminished. We feel that Iran is probably the least dangerous place that Americans can visit. The chances of being arrested by Iranian authorities are virtually non-existent. Of course, tourists should not go around taking photos at airports or military facilities. And they should not break Iranian rules about drinking alcohol (alcohol is banned). But, assuming sensible behavior, Americans are VERY safe in Iran.
Unlike neighboring Turkey, for example, a country which still attracts many more American tourists than does Iran, there have been incidents of terrorism and armed conflict. Iran is quiet.
Plus there is virtually no street crime in Iran, as opposed to many countries in Europe and Latin America. And, the big surprise is that Americans individually are very popular in Iran.
However, if tourism increases the problems associated with booking the best hotel rooms will also increase .While Iran has beautiful hotels in every large tourist destination, it does not have a lot of them. Since we do our best to put people who travel with us into the very best hotels, that makes it essential to book your tour as far in advance of departure as possible. This will give us a chance to get you the best hotels.