Tourists’ protest to the Ministry of Tourism; Why didn’t you announce the travel emergency?

According to ISNA; The Vice President of Iran Tour Operators Association raised the question that following the events of January, why was the state of “travel emergency” not announced so that the rights of travelers and businesses in this area would not be lost? said:

It was expected that the tourism manager would not ignore the current situation. They do not support, at least give consolation.

Referring to the conditions of Iran’s tourism industry after the unrest in January and with the internet cut off, Mustafa Sarvi said:

In the current situation, our expectation is that the trustee and the directly responsible official will deal with this industry more concerned and be persistent and not ignore what has happened to travelers, tourism activists and this industry.

The vice-chairman of the Iranian Tour Guides Association continued:

Anyway, some things have happened in the country and we hope that the government officials we have in these situations will help us to get out of this situation as soon as possible. According to the reviews I had in the news of this period, most of the ministries had reactions and instructions regarding the situation that occurred, but the news and talks that we read from the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts during this period were not related to the situation. However, there are activists in this industry who want a burden lifted from their shoulders.

A survey asking why, despite the challenges faced by travelers, the conditions of “force majeure” or “travel emergency” were not declared so that the rights of travelers and businesses in this field would not be lost? said:

Before the unrest, there were travelers in Iran, mostly from Iraq, or they were ready to travel to Iran, and they canceled their trip or coming to Iran. However, due to the existing circumstances, the status of “travel force majeure” was not declared, and now domestic hotels and airlines have fined the travelers for canceled trips or have not returned the money they had with them. This situation does not only include foreign travelers; During that period of time, our compatriots were traveling inside the country for whatever reason, and the conditions were such that they either did not have the possibility to return or did not have the spirit to continue the journey.

He added that in a situation where the highest political and executive officials of the country have announced that the recent events were a continuation of the 12-day war, how is it that special conditions are not taken into account and people are charged for missed and canceled trips?

The vice-chairman of Iran’s Tour Operators Association stated that after the 12-day war, it was announced that 14 support packages had been planned to support private tourism sector activists, but it was not implemented, the only support measure that was announced was that employee insurance does not include lateness.

The survey stated:

In every country, a series of events occur, from floods and earthquakes to protests and wars, and in any case, crisis management must be done. We paid their salaries in any way we could so that the lives of our employees would not suffer in this situation where there was no news of work, now the government is demanding taxes from us.

The tour guide continued:

Tourism is an extremely vulnerable industry, at least they don’t support or comfort; Meanwhile, we are faced with interviews and statements from the authorities in charge of this industry as if the conditions are normal and the activists of this field and passengers have not suffered any damage. The current situation cannot be ignored and must be managed.

Mentioning the support measures of other sectors, Sarvi pointed to the action of the Chamber of Commerce to provide an internet platform for businessmen and said:

During this time, the tour guides’ access to the Internet was completely cut off, we were not able to communicate with our passengers, we had no access to know if they had given up coming to Iran or in what situation they are and we are. Meanwhile, the Chamber of Commerce at least provided a space for businessmen so that their connection with the world is not cut off. We were not even aware of the actions and follow-ups of this ministry, which is said to be supposed to provide internet platform at the ministry’s premises for some travel agencies. Even in the situation where some Iranian travelers were trapped in some cities and could not return home, we did not see any reaction, at least they could have announced the phone number through radio and television so that the problem of these travelers could be followed up and solved.

In the end, the vice-chairman of Iran’s Tour Operators Society said that this guild accepts the sensitive conditions of the country and is ready to help to manage these conditions, if the officials consider this guild trustworthy and reliable.