Iranians flock to 'Mediterranean beaches'

In Iranian newspapers, advertisements for summer holidays on ‘Mediterranean beaches' tend not to refer to breaks in southern France or Spain. Readers are likely to find that the destination is more likely to be Turkey. A favourite resort is Antalya, on the country's south-west coast, which has become something of a national obsession. "They [Iran's rulers] think if we do not mention the name of Antalya, people won't go. But the fact is that lots of people are going," says a travel agent who promotes Mediterranean packages. Such is the enthusiasm that hardliners in parliament have vowed to restrict the travel agencies' promotion of overseas tourist attractions because, they say, the agents are undermining Iranian destinations. But Turkish resorts offer lively nightlife and access to mixed beaches that are denied to Iranians at home. Moreover, tours to nearby countries such as Turkey and Dubai, and Asian destinations such as Malaysia and Thailand, generally offer better levels of service and cheaper prices. A one-week package to Antalya including flights and full-board ranges from $500 (Dh1,836) to $1,000 a person. A standard two-bed room in a five-star hotel in one of Iran's Caspian resorts, complete with social restrictions, costs about $200 per night. The figure for a similar room on the Gulf island of Kish in the south, another popular resort, is usually more than $150. One of the main reasons for the high prices is Iranian state organisations' monopoly on domestic hotels. For critics, this monopoly means inefficient management, poor service and untrained staff. "A one-week tour package to Thailand or Malaysia or Istanbul is cheaper than the same package... to Kish — and the levels of service are much higher," says Mustafa Shafe'ei-Shakib, a member of the Travel Agencies Guild Association. Nostalgic Iranians have another motivation to prefer destinations such as Antalya and to shun historic cities such as Shiraz and Isfahan. Banned singers and dancers, most of whom have lived in exile in Los Angeles since the 1979 revolution, flock to destinations popular with Iranians. Concerts in Turkey are widely advertised on Farsi satellite television channels. Antalya is particularly desirable and expensive this week. Googoosh, a legendary pop singer, is performing a concert, while Mohammad Khordadian, a renowned dancer, is organising a competition. The events are expected to attract thousands. Although no official figures are available on the number of Iranian visitors to Antalya, local travel agents believe that out of the six million trips taken by Iranians overseas each year, more than one million people go to Turkey for a holiday or for shopping — or both. The figure is not much below that for the combined number of Iranian pilgrims visiting shrines in Saudi Arabia, Syria and Iraq. This year, the number of tourists at home and abroad is said to have declined because of more difficult economic conditions and growing uncertainty about the future. Yet it is a trend that is unlikely to come to a halt. Gone are the days when an overseas holiday was the luxury of Iran's upper classes. After the Iran-Iraq war, which ended in 1988, the regime prioritised economic development. This led to more disposable income for the middle-class, many of whom now consider travelling to nearby countries affordable and easy to organise. From/ Gulf News