{"id":36120,"date":"2019-07-08T14:08:31","date_gmt":"2019-07-08T14:08:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/?p=36120"},"modified":"2026-10-28T06:38:38","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T06:38:38","slug":"demand-for-iran-tours-rising-despite-u-s-falloff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/demand-for-iran-tours-rising-despite-u-s-falloff\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran Tour Demand in 2019: What Skift Reported"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Archive note, October 2026:<\/strong> This page examines travel-industry reporting published in July 2019. Its quotations, booking figures and assessments reflect that period, not current travel conditions. The <a href=\"https:\/\/travel.state.gov\/en\/international-travel\/travel-advisories\/iran.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">U.S. State Department advises against all travel to Iran<\/a> (advisory dated 23 October 2026). Check official guidance before making travel decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a <a href=\"https:\/\/skift.com\/2019\/07\/08\/demand-for-iran-tours-rising-despite-u-s-falloff\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">report published on 8 July 2019<\/a>, travel journalist Maria Lenhart examined how rising tensions between Washington and Tehran were affecting demand for tours to Iran. The report drew on interviews with tour operators serving American and international travelers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"430\" src=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image-9-1024x430.jpeg\" alt=\"Visitor photographing ornate decoration inside a historic Iranian building\" class=\"wp-image-71458\" title=\"Visitor photographing ornate decoration inside a historic Iranian building\" srcset=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image-9-1024x430.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image-9-780x328.jpeg 780w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image-9-768x323.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image-9.jpeg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-flat ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/demand-for-iran-tours-rising-despite-u-s-falloff\/#what-skift-reported-about-us-bookings\" >What Skift reported about U.S. bookings<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/demand-for-iran-tours-rising-despite-u-s-falloff\/#travel-perceptions-and-official-safety-advice\" >Travel perceptions and official safety advice<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/demand-for-iran-tours-rising-despite-u-s-falloff\/#why-this-2019-report-still-matters\" >Why this 2019 report still matters<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"what-skift-reported-about-us-bookings\"><\/span>What Skift reported about U.S. bookings<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The operators interviewed by <a href=\"https:\/\/skift.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Skift<\/a> described a sharp decline in American inquiries and bookings amid political uncertainty in 2019. Some prospective travelers postponed decisions, while others changed their plans. The article reported that G Adventures saw U.S. bookings decline by about 14% that year, while bookings from other markets rose by a similar proportion. These figures were company-reported observations, not a comprehensive measure of Iran tourism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The interviews included perspectives from Distant Horizons, Journeys International, G Adventures and Intrepid Travel. Their experiences differed: some saw cancellations or weaker demand from the United States, while others reported continued interest among travelers from elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"travel-perceptions-and-official-safety-advice\"><\/span>Travel perceptions and official safety advice<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The original story contrasted positive experiences described by tour operators with the security concerns expressed by prospective visitors. Hospitality and personal experiences cannot substitute for an official risk assessment. For U.S. citizens, the <a href=\"https:\/\/travel.state.gov\/en\/international-travel\/travel-advisories\/iran.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">current U.S. travel advisory<\/a> is Level 4, Do Not Travel, citing risks including arbitrary detention and kidnapping. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/foreign-travel-advice\/iran\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">UK Foreign, Commonwealth &amp; Development Office<\/a> also advises against all travel to Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"561\" title=\"Sunlight through stained-glass windows inside Nasir al-Mulk Mosque, Shiraz\" src=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Nasir-al-Mulk-Mosque-in-Shiraz-by-Mohammad-Reza-Domiri-Ganji-1-1024x561.jpg\" alt=\"Sunlight through stained-glass windows inside Nasir al-Mulk Mosque, Shiraz\" class=\"wp-image-67344\" srcset=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Nasir-al-Mulk-Mosque-in-Shiraz-by-Mohammad-Reza-Domiri-Ganji-1-1024x561.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Nasir-al-Mulk-Mosque-in-Shiraz-by-Mohammad-Reza-Domiri-Ganji-1-780x427.jpg 780w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Nasir-al-Mulk-Mosque-in-Shiraz-by-Mohammad-Reza-Domiri-Ganji-1-768x421.jpg 768w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Nasir-al-Mulk-Mosque-in-Shiraz-by-Mohammad-Reza-Domiri-Ganji-1.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Nasir Al Mulk Mosque, Known As Pink Mosque in Shiraz<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"why-this-2019-report-still-matters\"><\/span>Why this 2019 report still matters<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The story illustrates how political uncertainty can affect different travel markets in different ways. It also shows why historical tourism statistics and personal impressions need dates and context. Statements made in 2019 should not be presented as evidence of present-day safety, visa rules, flight availability or demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the original reporting, read <a href=\"https:\/\/skift.com\/2019\/07\/08\/demand-for-iran-tours-rising-despite-u-s-falloff\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Maria Lenhart\u2019s article on Skift<\/a>. This SURFIRAN page is an independently written historical summary, not a reproduction of the Skift report.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image wp-image-36224 size-full\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1500\" height=\"630\" src=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Gail.jpg\" alt=\"Three women seated together outside a traditional building in Iran\" class=\"wp-image-36224\" title=\"Three women seated together outside a traditional building in Iran\" srcset=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Gail.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Gail-780x328.jpg 780w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Gail-768x323.jpg 768w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Gail-1024x430.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Gail-300x126.jpg 300w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Gail-705x296.jpg 705w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Gail-450x189.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The story of U.S.-Canadian returning to Iran after 40 years.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/us-canadian-returning-iran-40-years\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read more\u2026<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Related reading: <a href=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/iran-visa-for-us-citizens\/\">Iran visa information for U.S. citizens<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/us-canadian-returning-iran-40-years\/\">a traveler\u2019s return to Iran after 40 years<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/iranian-carpet\/\">Persian carpet traditions<\/a>. Historical accounts do not replace up-to-date official guidance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A historical review of Skift\u2019s July 2019 report on U.S. travel demand for Iran, with context and links to current official travel advisories.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":24780,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[110,306,308,305,1],"tags":[9092,264,283],"class_list":["post-36120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-culture","category-destinations","category-how-to","category-tourism-iran","tag-safe","tag-safety","tag-usa"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Italian-tourists-in-Iran-02-14-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36120"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36120\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24780"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}