Iran Tourism Official Mocks Exaggerated Tourism Growth Figures
A tourism industry representative in Iran has accused the government of providing false statistics on the growth of foreign tourism.
A tourism industry representative in Iran has accused the government of providing false statistics on the growth of foreign tourism.
In an interview Hormatollah Rafi'ee quipped, "We are professionals in [ producingfalse] statistics," referring to the government.
He went on to express concerns about the country's inability to capitalize on tourism opportunities. He revealed that despite growth claimed by officials, the number of incoming tourists has in fact declined in recent years. This revelation raises questions about the accuracy of previous reports and the underlying challenges faced by Iran's tourism sector.
Last year, the government claimed the number of foreign visitors increased by 132 percent reaching 4.2 million people, amid the lingering COVID pandemic, which surprised many.
For years, Iran has been a destination of interest, enticing foreign visitors with its historical heritage. Even with strict dress codes for women and restrictions on alcohol and nightlife after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, a small but steady stream of mainly European tourists continued to visit the country.
Hopes for a significant boost in tourism arose when Iran and major powers reached a landmark nuclear deal in 2015.
However, these hopes were shattered when then-US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the agreement three years later, triggering a downturn in tourism prospects.
Last year, the country witnessed mass protests and detained more Europeans prompting several Western countries to issue travel advisories warning their citizens against visiting the country, citing the risk of "arbitrary detention."
Iran international conducted interviews with more than 20 journalists in various cities who work for newspapers or news agencies.
According to the interviewees, the average salaries of journalists in provinces like Esfahan, Khorasan Razavi, Gilan, West Azerbaijan and Sistan-Baluchistan range from 40 to 60 million rials ($80-120) a month.
This means that journalists get paid less than the minimum wage, which the government this year increased to above 70 million rials ($140).
A Journalist in Khorasan Razavi province in northeast, emphasizing the living difficulties for journalists said, "Salaries in some Telegram channels like Akbar Mashhad start from 7 million rials ($14) and may reach 4 million ($80) a month, like other journalist in our province. Of course, editors may receive between 100 and 120 million rials ($200-220)."
According to a report by the Parliamentary Research Centre published this month the number of Iranian below the poverty line increased from 19 percent to over 30 percent in the past decade. In fact, more than 30 percent of Iran's populations lives below the poverty line. Some experts say that nearly half the population is now below the poverty line, which is defined as having an income of less than around $200 a month. Many journalists are also among the people living below the poverty line.
Journalists in Esfahan emphasized that their salaries have been paid with delays in the past year, and in some cases, they have been divided into instalments. They said, "A salary of 5.3 million rials ($105) is practically meaningless considering rising inflation and the high cost of living. There is no institution or syndicate to file a complaint with, and any protest is met with reprimands and dismissals."
Although the government claims annual inflation is at 40 percent, economists and some lawmakers believe it is closer to 70 percent. Food price inflation is estimated to be between 70-120 percent since May 2022.
A reporter from one of the news agencies in Tehran also said: "On paper, I receive around 80 million rials ($160) as my monthly salary, but due to various deductions, I end up with something close to 77 million. It's clear that with such a salary, it's impossible to live in Tehran. Depending on my shift, I do some extra work before or after my job as a driver. Once, I gave a ride to someone I had interviewed weeks earlier. The person was shocked that I was driving a taxi and repeatedly asked if I wanted to write an article about why I had to do a second job."
A reporter from one of the newspapers in Tehran told us, "I had left my parents’ home and lived alone, but my financial situation became so difficult that I had to return and live with them, however, not everyone has this option. We are barely making ends meet. I made around 100 million rials a month, but still, my income and expenses did not balance out."
Increasing censorship
The economic problem is not the only challenge facing journalists in Iran. They are daily confronted with various newly imposed restrictions. One journalist spoke about the pressures and new limitations, saying, "Reporting has become like the fluctuating dollar rate, they keep setting momentary red lines for us."
He added: "It is possible that yesterday an agreed upon report was allowed to be published, but the next day, the editors and chief editors, or the managing director say that the report should not be printed. To make our conscience suffer even more, they say, 'Are you willing to take the responsibility for others losing their jobs [if the news outlet is shut down]?’ “
During months of anti-government protests that began last September, dozens of journalists were detained, some simply for a tweet or as a preventive measure. Two reporters who broke the news about Mahsa Amini, whose death in the custody of hijab police sparked the protests, are still in jail.
A reporter from one of the news agencies in Tehran stated: "Limitations on writing news depending on the country's situation have always existed. For example, we were not allowed to cover the Haft Tappeh workers' strike for a while, and later the choice of words was completely controlled. But during the protests since September 2022, these limitations have doubled."
This reporter went on to say, "After being shocked by the killing of Kian [a 10-year-old boy shot by security forces during protests], I posted a story on my personal page. In less than 24 hours, I received a call from an unknown number, and in a harsh tone, they told me to delete the story and warned that if it happened again, they would fire me from the newspaper."
Another journalist who was recently interrogated by security forces described the dangers inherent in censorship. "We used to know what words to use and what words were prohibited, or at least we followed the criteria according to directives from the Supreme National Security Council. But after the killing of Mahsa, the conditions drastically changed, and they began to apply all sorts of pressures to restrict independent journalists. They us no to do our professional work effectively, but…we take pride in our profession and stand with the people as long as we can."
In its boldest move to deter Iran since assuming office, the Biden administration signaled on Wednesday that it may soon offer to put armed sailors and Marines on commercial ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz.
The Pentagon last month had already sent additional F-35 and F-16 fighter jets along with a warship to the Middle East in a bid to monitor key waterways in the region following Iran's seizure and harassment of commercial vessels.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) held drills around three Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf contested by the United Arab Emirates and claimed that it has added a 600-kilometer-range new missile to its arsenal “for defending the islands’ territory.”
Hossein Salami the commander of the IRGC delivered another speech on Saturday, praising what he called unprecedented advances the Islamic Republic ha made in naval power. In typical veiled language Salami said that “the enemy’s presence instead of posing a threat became an opportunity…and we expanded our defense and military” capabilities.
Salami also stated that Iran has been able to de-couple “the enemy’s military power” from its psychological dimension, implying that Tehran is not afraid of the overwhelming power wielded by the United States.
By offering to protect commercial vessels, the United States may be trying to prevent what it anticipates as inevitable Iranian escalation amid a lack of an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program and continuing US sanctions that have led to a hopeless economic situation for Tehran. But the show of force could also be apart of Washington’s efforts to re-engage in the Middle East to show Saudi Arabia and its allies in the Persian Gulf that it is the ultimate guarantor of security.
Vice Admiral Brad Cooper met met with Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General, Jasem Mohamed Al Budaiwi, in Riyadh to discuss “maritime collaboration for ensuring the free flow of global commerce in & near critical regional waterways,” US Naval Forces Central Command announced Thursday.
Already, the US Navy is authorized to defend vessels belonging to countries with whom there is a mutual defense agreement, including Saudi Arabia and its Persian Gulf allies. However, Al-Monitor cited US officials as saying that the Pentagon has been discussing options with the National Security Council to expand maritime commercial defense “potentially including ownership of the ship or its cargo.”
As the Biden administration appears to be adopting a more forceful posture in the Persian Gulf, it is also ramping up pressure on Tehran over the issue of Iranian drone supplies to Russia.
NBC news reported Friday that the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has decided to show foreign officials “undeniable” evidence of the Iranian origin of drones shout down over Ukraine.
Washington first warned about Tehran’s plan to supply attack drones to Russia in July 2022 and in October it announced that indeed Moscow had started to use Shahed kamikaze drones against Ukraine. In February the DIA issued a report saying that analysis confirmed Russia’s use of various lethal Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) against Ukraine.
Iran has retaliated in recent days by calling for a halt to Western arms supplies for Ukraine blaming the assistance for prolonging the war.
Iran has long been an ally of Russia both in the Syrian civil war and during the invasion of Ukraine despite its claims of neutrality. The government media in Tehran has displayed clear support for Russia and officials have never condemned Moscow's attacks on civilians. So far, Russia has used hundreds of Iranian-made drones against Ukrainian civilian and infrastructure targets.
