March 16, 2018
Hotels in six provinces are offering 30 percent to 70 percent discounts on room rentals during the Now Ruz holidays, the complete reverse of the frequent past practices of jacking up charges over the holidays.
The new approach is in line with a scheme to boost domestic travel during the period.
The plan will be implemented following an agreement between the Iran Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO) and the Iranian Hoteliers Association.
Hotels in the six provinces of Tehran, East Azerbaijan, Chahar Mahal va Bakhtiari, Kohgiluyeh va Boyer Ahmad, Khorasan Rezavi and Fars have agreed to join the plan, the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) reported.
Speaking on the sidelines of a recent cabinet meeting, Ali-Asghar Mounesan, the head of ICHHTO, pledged that hotels would not only refrain from increasing room prices, as they did last year, but will also offer special discounts. He pledged that hotel operators would be closely monitored to prevent any straying from the path.
“Hotels in the capital, which spent the whole New Year period almost empty last year, will offer 50-to-70 percent discounts,” Mounesan said.
Last year, with the approach of Now Ruz, the country’s domestic travel market faced a price bubble despite tourism authorities’ efforts to keep the costs of travel down. Hotels that had repeatedly denied any plans to raise their rates during the two-week holiday ended up increasing their prices.
