Hello everybody! I am from Europe and for the past two years I’ve been working in tourism industry in Iran. Being a foreigner living in Iran I realized my words sometimes have extra weight so this post goes out to all those who are interested in visiting this amazing country.
Things that have happened in the past 2 weeks have if not almost ruined the upcoming tourist season. I feel so bad for many of my friends that own guesthouses, agencies, hostels and for all those who perform all kinds of interesting tours. Their bookings are being canceled, rooms are empty, tours are canceled. I am not writing this post to tell you that Iran is safe (which it is!) but to put things into perspective when you watch news at home. When it all happened 2 weeks ago I was also at home in Europe and what struck me was the way media was reporting on news about Iran. I am not even talking about the biased and hypocritical reporting in favor of western countries and the US because that is nothing new. I am talking about the exaggerated titles and headlines in TV, web portals and newspapers. Headlines like “WW3 about to start” or “Iranians have a list of 15 targets from which even the smallest is a nightmare for the US” were there just to raise your curiosity and to get them views and clicks. C’mon, how many WW3s did we have in the past 3 years? I think around 3 with North Korea and 2 or 3 with Iran. It’s becoming a bit repetitive and quite predictable. There will be no such war. Those 15 targets that are nightmare for the US? Well, most of us in Iran knew the answer to killing Suleimani would be mild and merely symbolic. Few rockets into the empty base with no casualties – was that a nightmare for the US? Of course not, those were all just dramatic titles and headlines. But unfortunately such dramatic titles and headlines are causing fear and canceling tours and bookings of many of my, now very depressed, friends.
My point is that all you potential future travelers to Iran use us who live here as your source of information. I know about situation in Iran a lot better than my country’s national television. I live here and I love here. They don’t. They want views and clicks. All these thousands of Iranian members of this group live in Iran and know the situation. Ask them. And don’t worry, they will not lie and tell you it is safe if it isn’t. I’m not crazy either, I wouldn’t be here if it was dangerous. And if you do listen to news, watch TV and read web portals keep in mind that the drama they present might be exaggerated.
If you canceled, reconsider. If you’re interested in visiting, do the next step and come. Agencies will make a great plan for you, accommodations will host you wonderfully and guides will take you to some wonderful places. See you in Iran! ❤️
