TEHRAN – Some 85 percent of foreign tourists have canceled their trips to Iran, the Head of the Iranian Hoteliers Association, has said.

Iran’s recent unrest has forced over 85 percent of foreign tourists from European, American, and Asian countries to cancel their visits, Jamshid Hamzehzadeh explained on Sunday.

Several of them had planned to spend a few days in Iran after staying in Qatar for the World Cup, but due to recent events, they canceled their reservations, he added.

The Iranian hotel industry has experienced several crises since the Iranian year 1398 (March 2019), he explained.

Floods, heavy rains, high gasoline prices, the coronavirus outbreak, and recent unrest have all contributed to the damage, he noted.

Currently, the average occupancy rate of hotels has declined to below 20 percent and most hoteliers have difficulties covering their expenses, he mentioned.

As long as these conditions persist, hoteliers will be forced to retrench, similar to what they did during the coronavirus pandemic years, he said.

Last year, the official announced that Iranian hotels have lost 202 trillion rials (some $674 million) of potential revenues due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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

Last July, ISNA reported that the tourism industry of the country had suffered a loss of some 320 trillion rials ($1.1 billion) 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/AM