While experts and officials are at odds over the scheme to extend the weekend to two days, Iran Chamber of Commerce is hoping to have the parliament decide its fate by the end of the current Iranian year in March 2019.
According to Ali Asghar Zarifkar, a member of ICC's Tourism Commission, the chamber has been holding talks with governors and lawmakers constantly over the past months to convince them of the plan's multiple benefits.
"The two-day weekend will not only increase society's vitality, but also directly contribute to the development of tourism and consequently the creation of stable jobs and promotion of economic growth," he said.
Iran is among the few countries to have set only one official holiday as the weekend on Friday, though many schools, universities and offices are either off on Thursday or operate on a half-day basis.
This is while such countries as Japan, Britain, France, Sweden and the US have taken a step further to propose a three-day weekend which is believed to be conducive to efforts to improve overall productivity as well as save energy costs.
A two-day official weekend has been discussed in Iran since 2016 but has failed to gain unanimous approval by authorities.
Advocates of the plan maintain that it helps the growth of tourism, prevents mass tourism during long vacations, allows families to make plans for their holidays, increases workers' productivity, creates permanent jobs and reduces air pollution and traffic congestions, among other advantages.
Ill-Informed Opposition
The relatively high number of public holidays in Iran had created the illusion that Iran has more days off than the global average. But this is proven wrong when the number of Fridays plus public holidays is compared with the total days off in case of a two-day weekend. Even with 26 days of public holidays that sometimes coincide with Fridays, Iran has fewer days off than other countries.
There is another misunderstanding about Thursdays, as this day is not formally considered part of the weekend. Only certain schools, universities and state organizations are off on this day which cannot be generalized to the whole country.
Opponents also claim that the reduction in working days will disrupt the economy. But global experience has shown that, on the contrary, it improves the economy by saving costs and increasing productivity on working days.
ICHHTO's Thinking
Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, as the leading authority governing the country's tourism industry, is among the critics of the idea.
Mohammad Moheb-Khodaei, ICHHTO's tourism deputy, has suggested that people can use their 30 permitted days off instead.
"School students and offices in many cities are off for two days and those who have a one-day weekend can take days off to plan a trip."
The organization has also proposed a plan to offer students four to six days off throughout the academic year.
"If the Education Ministry approves the plan, families will be able to take up to three two-day trips during the year without making the weekend longer," Moheb-Khodaei said.
The official also stressed that such a comprehensive plan cannot be implemented across a large country like Iran without adequate studies.
"Longer holidays mean longer working hours that is not practical in all cities such as the southern provinces that go through very hot days in the summer," he said.
ICHHTO seems to be attaching greater importance to a winter vacation scheme to encourage travel to the warmer southern regions during the cold season. This, however, is believed by experts to result in another peak of mass tourism.
