An e-booking website now allows Iranians to use local credit cards to book seats on international flights conducted by reputable foreign and domestic airlines.
The online platform (www.alibaba.ir) provides users with a wide variety of airlines to select from, according to an emailed statement by the company.
“Whereas conventionally people had to call up travel agencies and visit their offices only to be told about four or five airlines that offered flights to their desired destination, we give our clients the freedom to go through all listed airlines and choose their desired time and date from the comfort of their homes,” the statement reads.
While there are numerous e-booking websites in Iran for hotels and airlines, they are all underdeveloped, which is not befitting a country whose stated goal is to turn tourism into a major source of revenue.
Alibaba’s claim to be the first website to offer a wide variety of choices for Iranians travelling abroad by air seems to be true (test searches by the Financial Tribune yielded plenty of results), but a major shortcoming of the website is a lack of an English-language version.
Nevertheless, the company has emerged as a pioneer in the field and this can will spur competition and help Iranian travelers.
