Tours operators, hotel managers and those involved in the tourism sector have called for a postponement of festivals in tourist hubs during the peak season, in a meeting with the head of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, Masoud Soltanifar.
They said holding festivals and exhibitions during the peak travel season (between spring and fall), in popular cities among tourists is an ineffective policy that negatively impacts the sector, Mehr News Agency reported.
Taking into account the low number of four- and five-star hotels in the country meeting international standards, holding festivals during the peak season strains the tourism industry as there is a lack of sufficient lodging facilities.
Head of Isfahan Hotel Owners’ Association Mehdi Narimani said, “Planning and organizing big events, such as the International Children Film Festival, must take into account their impact on tourism.”
Narimani noted that the same goes for seminars, exhibitions and conferences in Kashan during the Rosewater Festival in May.
Since international festivals draw a lot of tourists, holding them during peak seasons is counterproductive.
Narimani said by holding such events in peak seasons, potential investors might be discouraged from investing in hotels, since it makes no economic sense to have hotels empty for months during the offseason.
“Instead,” he suggested, “it would be better to hold festivals during the offseason to spread out tourist arrivals.”
