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Published on : Thursday, September 3, 2020
As the Middle East’s worst-affected corona virus victim, Iran has lost more than 21,000 of its citizens ever since the pandemic started ravaging the country in late February.
However, keeping the immense health crisis aside, the economic loss is distressing for the cash-strapped government. And of course, tourism is the worst affected sector.
Taking pride in its magnificent ancient Persian civilization, Iran is home to 24 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which have endured foreign invasions and natural disasters over centuries and they still appeal to visitors.
According to official figures released by Ali-Asghar Mounesan, minister of cultural heritage, tourism and handicrafts, are quite characteristic of the bleak situation.
In the first three months of the Iranian calendar year (March 21-June 20), Iran had only 74 foreign tourists, according to Mounesan. In the same period last year, the country hosted around 2.6 million foreign tourists. Owing to the pandemic, the minister said, Iran’s tourism has shrunken to “near-zero levels.”
In order to assist the sector, the government of President Hassan Rouhani has promised to bail it out. However, according to Mounesan, not more than $7.7 million has been offered so far in the form of loans rather than aid packages to the affected private companies. “The bailout served merely as a fleeting painkiller,” Mounesan said.
Many people will have to forego their sources of income in the tourism industry due to the corona crisis.
Another attraction of the Iranian culture and civilization — handmade carpets, does not seem to be in good shape as well. Carpet weaving skills have been passed on from generation to generation in Iran, providing the country with one of few sources of non-oil income, claiming almost 10% of the world’s total handmade carpet exports. However, the pandemic has brought in a period of lackluster business, leading to workshop closures with the finished carpets piling up in warehouses.
Tags: iran