TEHRAN / KABUL– Iran’s once-thriving travel and tourism industry, one of the country’s oldest economic sectors and a vital source of cultural exchange and private enterprise, has been brought to an abrupt standstill following the recent conflict involving Israel and the United States.
The conflict has severely affected international travel, pilgrimage, and domestic tourism, leaving thousands of businesses—particularly in the private sector—facing an uncertain future. Tour operators, hotels, guides, transport companies, and hospitality professionals have seen bookings disappear almost overnight. For many entrepreneurs who have spent decades building Iran’s tourism industry despite years of sanctions and political challenges, the latest crisis has been especially devastating.
Yet even amid these difficult circumstances, signs of resilience are beginning to emerge.
One encouraging development came unexpectedly from neighboring Afghanistan, where officials announced plans to deepen tourism cooperation with Iran and tap into the country’s longstanding expertise in hospitality education and tourism management.
According to Afghanistan’s Ministry of Information and Culture, Deputy Minister of Information and Culture Mawlawi Qudratullah Jamal met Iranian Ambassador Alireza Bigdeli and Iran’s Cultural Adviser Seyed Ruhollah Hosseini in Kabul to discuss expanding bilateral tourism cooperation.
The talks focused on improving travel opportunities for tourists from both countries, facilitating religious pilgrimages, medical tourism, educational exchanges, and developing joint cultural programmes aimed at increasing visitor flows through closer coordination.
Recognizing Iran’s decades of experience in tourism education, Jamal requested that the Iranian government facilitate specialized training programs and academic seminars for lecturers from Afghanistan’s Institute of Tourism and Hospitality. The initiative would allow Afghan educators to benefit from Iranian expertise in tourism development, hospitality management, and destination planning.
The Afghan deputy minister also announced that both countries intend to prepare a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalize cooperation across tourism, culture, education, and hospitality.
Iranian Ambassador Alireza Bigdeli welcomed the proposal, emphasizing the deep religious, cultural, and historical ties shared by the two neighboring nations.
He reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to expanding cooperation in tourism and pilgrimage, stating that exchanging professional experience would contribute to strengthening the tourism industries of both countries.
The ambassador further announced that specialized training seminars led by Iranian instructors would be organized for Afghan tourism and hospitality lecturers in cooperation with relevant institutions in both countries.
While international headlines continue to focus on regional tensions, the initiative demonstrates that tourism diplomacy remains alive. It also highlights the respect Iran continues to command as a regional leader in hospitality education, cultural tourism, religious pilgrimage management, and heritage conservation.
Before the recent conflict, Iran’s tourism sector had been gradually recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The country welcomed growing numbers of visitors from neighboring countries and expanded its reputation as a destination for cultural tourism, medical travel, eco-tourism, and religious pilgrimage.
Today, however, much of that progress has been temporarily halted. Private tourism businesses remain among the hardest hit, with many professionals waiting for regional stability to return before restarting operations.
Despite the current challenges, many within Iran’s tourism industry remain optimistic. The Afghan initiative serves as a reminder that the country’s expertise, infrastructure and human capital continue to be recognised internationally.
For an industry built over generations, recovery will take time. Yet the willingness of neighboring countries to strengthen cooperation suggests that when conditions improve, Iran’s tourism sector will not be rebuilding from scratch—but from a foundation that still commands regional confidence and respect.
For many Iranian tourism professionals standing by today, that may be the most encouraging sign of all.
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