WTN Member Shahrzad Moayeri calls on the global travel industry to keep bridges with Iran open as tourism businesses struggle against circumstances beyond their control
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TEHRAN, Iran, September 27, 2026— As geopolitical tensions and severe travel restrictions leave Iran’s international tourism industry increasingly isolated, the Association of Iranian Travel and Tourism Agencies (AATTAI)is using World Tourism Day 2026 to urge the global travel industry to keep professional and human connections with Iran alive.
Shahrzad Moayeri, Director of International Affairs at AATTAI and a member of the World Tourism Network (WTN),says tourism can remain a bridge for dialogue, cultural understanding and peace even when international travel becomes extraordinarily difficult.
World Tourism Network Chairman Juergen Steinmetzpraised Moayeri’s determination to keep Iranian tourism connected internationally, drawing particular attention to the travel agencies, guides and other small and medium-sized tourism businesses—and the families depending on them—that are being affected by circumstances beyond their control.
For tourism professionals, World Tourism Day is normally a moment to celebrate destinations, new opportunities and the power of travel to connect people. For Moayeri, World Tourism Day 2026 carries a more urgent message: keep the bridges open.
Iran’s tourism industry is operating under extraordinary pressure. International travel warnings remain severe, while aviation and international access have been disrupted by regional tensions.
Yet Iran remains a country with an extraordinary tourism heritage. UNESCO lists 30 Iranian properties on its World Heritage List, ranging from Persepolis and the Historic City of Yazd to the Lut Desert and Persian Caravanserai.
Behind those attractions is an industry of travel agencies, guides, drivers, hotels, restaurants, artisans and family businesses whose livelihoods depend on tourism.
AATTAI represents more than 1,350 travel and air transport agencies across Iran and was established in 1957. The association is a member of the World Tourism Network, giving Iranian private-sector tourism professionals a channel to stay part of the international industry conversation even as conventional inbound tourism has become exceptionally difficult.
A message of connection from Tehran
In her World Tourism Day message, Moayeri deliberately looks beyond the immediate crisis.
“At a time when our world needs dialogue, mutual understanding and peace more than ever, tourism can be much more than an industry,” she said. “It can be a meaningful platform for bringing people and cultures closer together.”
World Tourism Day 2026 focuses on the theme “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism,”putting technology and AI at the center of the discussion about tourism’s future.
For Iran, digital connectivity carries an additional significance. When physical connectivity becomes difficult, maintaining professional relationships, industry dialogue and international visibility can become a form of tourism resilience.
“Technology and artificial intelligence have the potential to reshape the future of tourism,” Moayeri said. “Yet, trust, human connection, cultural exchange and authentic experiences will remain at the heart of travel.”
World Tourism Network applauds AATTAI
World Tourism Network Chairman Juergen Steinmetz praised Moayeri for continuing to represent Iran’s tourism community internationally despite the circumstances.
“Shahrzad is keeping alive the international spirit that tourism is supposed to represent,” Steinmetz said.
“At a time when Iran has become extraordinarily difficult to access for international visitors, we should not forget the tourism professionals and small businesses whose families depend on this industry. They did not create the geopolitical situation they are forced to operate in.”
WTN is focused particularly on giving small and medium-sized travel and tourism businesses a voice in the international tourism community. For Steinmetz, Moayeri’s persistence represents the people-to-people dimension of tourism that can easily disappear behind geopolitical headlines.
“My respect goes to Shahrzad and to the many tourism professionals in Iran who continue working against overwhelming odds,” he said. “Tourism is ultimately about people meeting people. Keeping that possibility alive matters.”
From knowledge to friendship — and friendship to peace
Moayeri’s World Tourism Day message does not suggest that technology alone can solve tourism’s deeper challenges.
Instead, AATTAI’s International Affairs Commission is calling on tourism professionals outside Iran to preserve professional relationships, dialogue and human connections until circumstances allow travel to recover.
“The International Affairs Commission of AATTAI believes that tourism can be a bridge for dialogue and understanding, creating a journey from knowledge to friendship, and from friendship to peace,” Moayeri said.
“Today, we invite our colleagues, partners and friends across the global tourism community to keep the bridges of dialogue and cooperation open. Let us embrace innovation, strengthen professional connections, and continue creating opportunities for people to discover one another through travel.”
Her appeal on September 27 is straightforward: political and physical barriers do not have to become barriers between tourism professionals and people.
“Together, let us make tourism not only a journey across borders, but a journey towards greater understanding, connection and peace.”
On World Tourism Day 2026, Iran’s message is about more than attracting visitors. It is about ensuring that the relationships, businesses and people that make tourism possible are still there when travelers can return.
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