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50% growth in the number of hotels in the government

Minister of Tourism Ali Asghar Monsan presented tourism projects at the same time; Before the government, the number of hotels in the country was 998, and 497 hotels were added to the country's complexes in this government. The number of accommodation beds before this government was 219,505 beds, of which 100,686 beds have been added. In this government, the number of ongoing projects in the field of tourism has increased from 783 projects to 2417 projects with an investment volume of 137 thousand billion tomans.

Create: Sep 26, 2020 Edit: Sep 26, 2020 Regional News

Tehran City Council members support the construction of a hotel in the capital

The annexation plan was approved as an increase in the legal value resulting from the implementation of urban development plans in paragraph "d" of the decree "Organization and development of tourism facilities in the city of Tehran." Some tourism projects are suspending this decree, and if completed, the activities of tourism activists will be done more quickly. Investors in the tourism industry will lose the economic justification of their projects if they pay taxes on the increase in legal value resulting from the implementation of development projects.

Create: Sep 21, 2020 Edit: Sep 21, 2020 Regional News

There is no point in increasing hotel rates this year

Jamshid Hamzehzadeh, President of the Iranian Hoteliers Association; Currently, many hotels in the country offer discounts of 50 to 60%, but still do not have customers. The basis for the increase in hotel rates is the annual inflation rate, but even last year, when inflation was announced at 53%, hotels increased their prices by 10 to 15%.

Create: Sep 5, 2020 Edit: Sep 5, 2020 Regional News

Religious tourists can see Yazd virtually this year

"Seyed Mostafa Fatemi" General Manager of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of Yazd Province; During the past years, in various ceremonies during Muharram, we have witnessed a significant increase in the number of tourists in Yazd. It has been decided to make it possible to communicate with travelers who have traveled to Yazd in recent years. In fact, this year we are looking to direct tourists to see the religious tourism of Yazd as virtual.

Create: Aug 27, 2020 Edit: Aug 27, 2020 Regional News

Will foreign flight tickets become more expensive

Secretary of the Association of Airlines announced; The price of a plane ticket on foreign routes is a function of the dollar rate, but it directly depends on the number of flights and the demand. If the number of flights is low and demand is high, ticket prices are likely to increase.

Create: Aug 23, 2020 Edit: Aug 23, 2020 Regional News

Corona is a reality but it cannot stop traveling, tourism minister says

“Corona is a fact, but can the virus stop tourism? Certainly not. For us, the coronavirus is a new experience in dealing with crises that teaches tourism experts around the world how to deal with such a disaster, and thankfully governments are turning this into an opportunity for better planning,” Ali-Asghar Mounesan said, ISNA reported. He made the remarks in a video showcased on Tuesday evening during a prize-giving ceremony in which a select of tourism businesses, tour operators, investors, and hoteliers were honored. “Tourism experts will certainly find a way to deal with this great crisis. As if the measures so far been taken in Iran and all over the world show that we will surely succeed [to make a big rebound] through proper smart planning.” Addressing the attendees to the ceremony, the minister explained; “Investments and the launch of new projects in the tourism sector have been increased dramatically underway across the country. Of these, about 600 are hotel-related projects that show a very promising future, conveying a message that investors see profitable prospects for Iran’s tourism.” Elsewhere in remarks, the official said “We are not saying that tourism should [merely] replace oil [revenues], but tourism can become first [sector of] economy in the country replacing revenues [currently being come from [the export of] mineral and raw resources.” “Tourism can create an easy way to earn and create employment by tapping into the existing historical and natural capacities of the country.” Mounesan has long been attaching importance to tourism as a source of revenue, which could substitute petro-dollars. Back in 2017, he said: “Every single foreign tourist visiting Iran spends an average of $1,200, bringing in income as much as exporting 30 barrels of oil.” Referring to the pandemic and its impacts on the traveling sector, he said: “All the economists in the world have predicted [dramatic] changes and developments for many once-prosperous sectors….. However, the technology is advancing, and smart solutions… will certainly bring changes in the world's economic sectors.” In June, the United Nations World Tourism Organization praised efforts made by Iran’s tourism ministry to manage the travel industry during the coronavirus pandemic. UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said in a letter to Mounesan that the country's measures have truly earned plaudits to mitigate the impact on tourism. “A series of measures that the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of Iran has taken, in accordance with the guidelines and recommendations of UNWTO, has truly earned plaudits as an effective practice to mitigate the impact on tourism,” the letter reads. Some experts believe that the coronavirus pandemic may turn tours and travels into luxury items as observing health protocols will raise the cost of travel in the country. Mohammad Ali Vaqefi, the vice president of the Iranian Tour Operators Association, warned earlier in June that with the continuation of the coronavirus outbreak, tourists may prefer individual travel rather than tours, adding that they may also choose to go on a trip by their vehicles and stay in tents or in the nature instead of hotels. In the global scene, part of the new travel puzzle is the jet-set mindset focusing on tough hygiene care and social distancing as cardinal guidelines for slowing the spread of the virus. So the average expenditure will be raised for a typical traveler particularly inbound passengers so lesser ones can afford to buy privacy and space and safer travel amenities. Meanwhile, deputy tourism minister Vali Teymouri, has said the tourism industry of Iran will get back on the right track sooner than expected thanks to measures taken to tackle the spread of coronavirus. “I believe that tourism industry of the country will get back on the right track far sooner than generally expected thanks to the measures taken to deal with the spread of coronavirus in tourist destinations, hotels, stopovers, and all the centers which are affiliated with the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts,” Teymouri said. Iran expects to reap a bonanza from its numerous tourist spots such as bazaars, museums, mosques, bridges, bathhouses, madrasas, mausoleums, churches, towers, and mansions, of which 24 being inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Under the 2025 Tourism Vision Plan, it aims to increase the number of tourist arrivals from 4.8 million in 2014 to 20 million in 2025. The latest available data show eight million tourists visited the Islamic Republic during the first ten months of the past Iranian calendar year (started March 21, 2019).

Create: Aug 5, 2020 Edit: Aug 6, 2020 Regional News

86.6% increase in the value of world tourism transactions

Travel Daily News described global data transactions based on information from the World Bank; Total investment in tourism and leisure in the second half of 2020 reached $ 1.09 billion worldwide. The value increased 86.6 percent from the previous three months, with North America leading the way. The top countries in terms of number of transactions were the United States with 19 transactions, India with 9 transactions and China with 8 transactions.

Create: Aug 4, 2020 Edit: Aug 9, 2020 International News

Delivering the Service Experience - Chapter 11 ; Perceived Waiting Times

Technique 159 Hang Mirrors Outside Elevator Doors; Hang at least one mirror on each floor by the elevators. Perceived waiting time for the elevator is reduced when guests can look in mirrors. Technique 160 Greet Guests While They Are Waiting to Check-In; Perceived waiting time is reduced when a process begins. Because part of the check-in process is being greeted, when the front desk gets busy unexpectedly, a hotel representative from another department can greet and talk with guests as they wait in line. Technique 161 Tastefully Display Information Inside Elevators; The displaying of information inside guest elevators not only serves to reduce perceived waiting times but is also an outstanding opportunity for advertising your hotel and the area. Displaying appropriate and tasteful information can increase guest engagement. Technique 162 Offer Food and Beverage at the Front Desk When Busy; Providing something small to eat or drink ( e.g., cookie; infused water ) at the front desk serves to reduce perceived waiting times of guests at the desk. Technique 163 Create Strategic Alliances to Permit the Use of Hotel Key Cards at Local Attractions; The hotel should establish strategic alliances with local attractions by which the hotel’s room key can be used to gain admittance to the attractions. Such relationships could reduce/ eliminate the waiting that the guests would experience when purchasing tickets at the attractions. Technique 164 Have Pre-Printed Directions Readily Available; Do guests repeatedly ask for directions for the same place like getting on the highway, the big office park, etc.? The front desk agents should have small pieces of paper with the directions on them readily available. There is no wait for the employee to find it on the Internet and print it or take a time to explain it. Technique 165 Have Maps with Hotel Location Indicated on it; Tourists like to look at maps. Have a map with the hotel location already designated on it. This will save time and ques- tions by the guests and, of course, make it easier to identify where they are. If the guests need to converse with the desk staff they can, if not, they can look at the map and figure out where to go. Technique 166 Use Mobile Roulette Wheel to Reduce Perceived Waiting Times; If check-in gets busy unexpectedly, have an associate from another department roll in a mobile roulette type wheel. Have the guests waiting in line spin the wheel to determine which prize each wins. For example, prizes can range from 1–5 per- cent discounts on room rates.

Create: Jul 29, 2020 Edit: Sep 5, 2020 Hotel Management

78% increase in hotel industry sales in the UK

The hotel industry accounted for 133.5 billion of the UK economy last year, but its value has fallen to less than 100 billion this year. One-year sale of the UK hotel industry in June were just 97.2 billion. On the other hand, the revenue of the hotel industry in the second quarter of this year was 4.6 billion pounds and much less than 34.2 billion pounds last year.

Create: Jul 29, 2020 Edit: Aug 3, 2020 International News

Extension of the exemption for issuing hotel and guest house construction licenses for a period of 3 years

Approved in a public meeting of Isfahan City Council; Extension of the exemption for issuing hotel and guest house construction licenses for a period of 3 years The bill was approved by the city council in 2014 and has been extended twice in recent years. The main purpose of approving and extending this bill is to increase and complete the infrastructure of the tourism industry in the city of Isfahan. During the last year, permits have been issued for the construction of 18 new hotels in the city of Isfahan.

Create: Jul 25, 2020 Edit: Jul 25, 2020 Regional News

Dismissal of 25,000 employees of the largest American airline

American Airlines, the largest airline in the United States, announced the dismissal of 25,000 employees due to the serious consequences of the outbreak of the coronavirus. The company's revenue fell 80 percent in June from a year earlier, and demand for flights has increased as the number of patients increased and quarantine resumed in many countries. Meanwhile, another major US airline, United Airlines, announced the dismissal of 36,000 employees last week.

Create: Jul 19, 2020 Edit: Jul 22, 2020 International News

Public aviation and tourism festival in Lorestan province

Ali Kameli, director of Khorramabad airport, announced; Online registration for the Public Aviation and Tourism Festival has begun. At Khorramabad Airport, we have provided all the conditions for this festival. The main purpose of this festival, in addition to the prosperity of tourism, is to increase employment and attract investors in aviation industry.

Create: Jul 7, 2020 Edit: Jul 7, 2020 Regional News