Amid various suggestions for reforming the travel money policy, Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, as the country's top tourism authority, has proposed the allocation of a smaller amount to overseas travelers.
According to Mohammad Moheb-Khodaei, tourism deputy at ICHHTO, while foreign currency should be supplied for essential outbound trips, the policy should not act as an incentive for the public to choose foreign countries as their destination.
"We believe that each Iranian traveling abroad should be given only $300," he was quoted as saying by Azad News Agency.
Given the recent change in the management of the Central Bank of Iran, ICHHTO is now waiting for the first opportunity to submit its plan, he added.
Moheb-Khodaei regretted that the currency policy is encouraging outbound travel in a way that even those who were not formerly interested in foreign countries are motivated to travel to destinations abroad.
"Rather than other countries offering incentives for Iranian tourists, we are encouraging them ourselves," ILNA quoted him as saying.
Tour Firm's Worries
Tour operators, however, are concerned about any decision that would lead to a drop in the number of outbound tourists.
In a recent statement, head of Iran's Travel Agents Association Hormatollah Rafiei had voiced worry that the termination of travel money allocation would hurt their business leading to large-scale redundancies.
Moheb-Khodaei dismissed it as a "weird claim" maintaining that outbound tourism is not the only area of activity in which travel agencies can make a profit and keep their business going.
"Tourism is not limited to foreign travel; we need to focus on inbound tourism while paying more attention to domestic travel," he said, criticizing tour operators for their failure to unlock the potential of the other forms of the industry.
He added that travel agencies' permits allow them to work in different areas and they have never been required to only invest in overseas travel, IRNA reported.
The drop in the value of the rial against foreign currencies, according to Moheb-Khodaei, is an opportunity in favor of Iran's tourism that should be exploited effectively.
"In present conditions when prices are lower in Iran, we can engage in a competition with other [neighboring] countries in terms of tourism," he said.
ICHHTO is also planning to encourage visits to domestic destinations through negotiations with tourism service providers to offer discounts during the summer which is a high travel season.
