TEHRAN – A negative COVID-19 test or vaccination certificate is required for travelers who want to stay in accommodation centers including hotels, motels, guest houses, and eco-lodge units, the head of the Association of Iranian Hoteliers has announced.

All employees of the mentioned facilities must also get vaccinated against the novel coronavirus and those who are unvaccinated may lose their jobs, Jamshid Hamzehzadeh said, ISNA reported. 

The centers are inspected regularly and are not allowed to operate if they are unable to comply with the rules and protocols, the official added. 

Back in October, the official announced that Iranian hotels are ready to receive foreign tourists, observing strict health protocols. 

To ease the travel process, individual foreign tourists could confirm the reservations of accommodation centers at the border, he noted.

The destinations of foreign tourists in Iran are too specific cities such as Mashhad, Qom, Tabriz, Shiraz, Yazd, and Isfahan, and to return to the figure of over eight million incoming tourists before the outbreak of the coronavirus, serious planning is required, he mentioned.

In early October, the official noted that Iranian hotels have lost 202 trillion rials (some $4.8 billion at the official exchange rate of 42,000 rials per dollar) of potential revenues due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two-thirds of the hotel staff have lost their jobs as well, he added.           

Back in September, Hamzehzadeh announced that all employees of accommodation centers across Iran are scheduled to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

“To vaccinate staffs of all accommodation centers, including eco-lodges, apartment hotels, and guest houses, as well as hotels, more coordination with the Ministry of Health is needed,” he added.

The ancient land embraces hundreds of historical sites such as bazaars, museums, mosques, bridges, bathhouses, madrasas, mausoleums, churches, towers, and mansions, of which 26 are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

ABU/AFM