There has been a surge of Russian tourists in Iran as a result of international sanctions against Russia.
Several factors have contributed to Russia’s limited domestic and foreign tourism these days, including a recent war with Ukraine that has adversely affected the Russian tourism industry.
Travel restrictions to China, sanctions by the European Union, a negative image of Russia being presented in different countries and the ban on international cards such as Visa prevent Russia from expanding its tourism.
This has prompted Russian tourists to visit Asia and the Middle East instead, especially Iran. This is due to the visa waiver between Iran and Russia that has increased for Russian tourists visiting Iran.
Russia’s outbound tourism market was impacted by the coronavirus outbreak until months ago, but it is now growing and has a completely new outlook, and Iran remains a popular tourist destination for Russians despite negative advertising.
Back in December, an Iranian tourism official announced that Iran’s tourism market is still unfamiliar to the majority of potential Russian travelers.
“Today, Russians [mainly] travel to [destinations such as] Dubai and Turkey for tourism, and one of our problems is that the Iranian market is not well known to them.”
The official expressed hope to reduce the gap by organizing FAM tours, B2B meetings, and forums to be attended by tourism insiders from the two countries.
Earlier in September, tourism insiders and officials from the two countries exchanged views on education, hotel management, holding joint exhibitions, and introducing tours and investments, among other issues.
Furthermore, they discussed prospects of a visa waiver for tourist groups, based on an agreement that former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin inked in 2017.
The Head of the Iranian Tour Operators Association Ebrahim Pourfaraj believes the majority of potential Russian travelers are unaware of the vast tourist attractions that exist in every corner of Iran. “The fact is that Iran’s political and economic relations with Russia are considered as good, but this has nothing to do with attracting tourists because it is directly connected with the Russian people. It is the Russian people who must choose Iran as their destination.”
Last year, an Iranian travel expert said many Russian tourists were eager to travel to Iran, an Iranian travel expert said on Monday, recounting his Russian counterparts. “Many Russian travelers are motivated to visit novel and lesser-known destinations such as Iran that could be a safe and attractive destination,” said Mostafa Sarvari, who presided over the tourism marketing and advertising office of the Iranian Tour Operators Association.
The Islamic Republic expects to reap a bonanza from its numerous tourist spots such as bazaars, museums, mosques, bridges, bathhouses, madrasas, mausoleums, churches, towers, and mansions, of which 26 are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.