TEHRAN – An average of 30 percent has been added to hotel prices in Iran, the Head of the Iranian Hoteliers Association announced on Tuesday. 

Changed prices took effect on September 22 and are valid for one year, Jamshid Hamzehzadeh said. 

Prices were adjusted based on each hotel situation in terms of standardization and obtaining a certificate of service quality, the official added. 

Normally, prices increase in accordance with the inflation rate, but despite the corona, unemployment, closure of accommodations centers, and travel restrictions, the price of Iranian hotel accommodation only increased by 30 percent, he explained.

There are also plans to review the prices of hotels in Iran for foreign travelers since foreign visitors pay very low prices due to the changes in the exchange rate and this requires more expert study, he noted. 

Last October, the official announced that the hotel prices could have risen by 100 percent if the inflation rate had been taken into account. 

In September 2020, Hamzehzadeh announced that considering the number of tourists and travelers, which has decreased drastically, increasing hotel prices does not make sense and will not increase the income of hoteliers.

He added that due to the outbreak of the coronavirus hotels are offering up to 60 percent discounts instead of raising their prices, however, with these amounts of discounts, the occupancy rate of hotels is less than five to seven percent.

Earlier in October, the official said that Iranian hotels are ready to receive foreign tourists while 90 percent of the hotel staff have been vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Earlier this month, 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 July, ISNA reported that the tourism industry of the country has suffered a loss of some 320 trillion rials ($7.6 billion at the official exchange rate of 42,000 rials per dollar) since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

The pandemic has also ruined more than 44,000 jobs in a once budding travel sector of the country, the report added.

Experts believe accommodation centers suffered the most as a result of the outbreak of the coronavirus in Iran and its subsequent unemployment and financial losses.

Iran is potentially a booming destination for travelers seeking cultural attractions, breathtaking sceneries, and numerous UNESCO-registered sites. Under the 2025 Tourism Vision Plan, Iran aims to increase the number of tourist arrivals from 4.8 million in 2014 to 20 million in 2025.

ABU/AFM