Dec 29, 2015

In years past, close economic and political relations between Tehran and Ankara coupled with certain liberties, such as freedom to drink alcohol or wear a bikini on public beaches, had made Turkey the No. 1 destination for Iranian tourists. As obtaining visas to visit Europe became increasingly difficult after the imposition of Western sanctions, even those Iranians who used to visit Europe chose Turkey as their prime vacation destination. Of note, Turkey does not require visas of Iranian citizens.

However, a series of events this year has resulted in Turkey — and its beaches — losing favor with Iranian tourists. Security issues, mistreatment at the hands of Turkish authorities and Ankara’s anti-Iran rhetoric have all resulted in a decreasing number of Iranians choosing Turkey as their holiday destination.

Even if one overlooks the Dec. 23 explosion at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport, the current security situation in Turkey is not comparable to just last year, before the cease-fire agreement between the Turkish government and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) collapsed. Mehrdad, a researcher who studies tourism at Izmir University in Turkey, told Al-Monitor: “News about the civil war in the east of Turkey is being strongly relayed by Iranian media outlets. During the past few months, and especially after the military operations in Turkey’s eastern Kurdish provinces, Iranian tourists have become concerned regarding the security situation in this country. On a daily basis, my family asks me about the security situation of the city in which I live and study, and whenever there is news regarding an explosion or a bombing, they call to make sure I am fine. This is why the Iranian families who used to go to Turkey on vacation are now going to Armenia or Dubai instead.”

Tehran-based journalist and tourism expert Foad Shams told Al-Monitor, “Ever since the start of the civil war in Syria and the tensions that arose because of it, Iranians have become less eager to travel to Turkey. Their reluctance is so strong that even sales and special discounts on tours have not helped in attracting travelers. In addition, the anti-Iranian rhetoric of Turkish officials has had a very negative effect on Iranian public opinion. A lot of Iranians are looking for a replacement for Turkey as their vacation destination, and as a result countries such as Armenia, Tajikistan and Georgia have become popular tourist destinations for Iranians in recent years. According to some surveys, half of the foreign tourists who visit Armenia are Iranian. I think this trend will continue in the future, and Turkey will no longer be a popular vacation spot for Iranians.”

Discussing the recent series of unfortunate incidents involving Iranians, such as the attack on a tourist bus in eastern Turkey and also the two blasts targeting Tehran-Ankara trains, Shams told Al-Monitor, “Security is a very important part of tourism. Tourists only travel to places where they feel safe. If they hear that a certain country is experiencing internal conflict and that there is the danger of explosions and bombings, they will most certainly remove that country from their list of vacation spots. Little by little, Iranian tourists are starting to feel unsafe about traveling to Turkey.”