No Hike in Airfares, Hotel Fees in Nowruz Holidays

EghtesadOnline: There will be no price rise in hotel fees during the Iranian New Year holidays (March 21-April 2), says the president of Iranian Hoteliers Association.

News ID: ۷۴۶۹۳۹

17 March 2019

"During the Norouz holidays, more than 2,100 hotels and motels, as well as 500 rooms are available in the country, which provide services to travelers at the rate set by the Hoteliers Association," Jamshid Hamzezadeh was quoted as saying by Chtn.ir.

Norouz is the longest holiday in Iran. Many families find the two-week period the most suitable time for making trips. Last year, about 18 million travels were recorded in the peak tourism season.

The surge in foreign exchange rates in the current fiscal year has taken foreign trips out of many families' checklist for Norouz. This has created a great opportunity for domestic travel industry, according to Financial Tribune.

It seems that the industry is doing its best to make the best of this opportunity. Many hotels across the country offer 10-50% discount to domestic and foreign tourists during this period.

Hotels in the capital Tehran, for example, will offer up to 50% discount to attract more Norouz tourists, according to the deputy head of Iran Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, Shahram Ali-Mohammadi, ISNA reported.

Just like the hoteliers, airlines have also announced that there will be no price hike during the Iranian New Year.

"We have reached an agreement based on which, there will be no rise in airfares during the Norouz holidays," Maqsoud As'adi-Samani, the secretary of the Association of Aviation Companies, said.

"The airfares will be at the same rate approved earlier in the current year, so people can afford them."

In December, ticket prices increased and were reset based on Nima rates, which is lower than the open market rates.

The Central Bank of Iran established an online system called Nima in April to address the foreign currency needs of importers and service providers in the face of returning US sanctions that have unleashed an ongoing currency crisis.

During Norouz, all airfares will be calculated based on Nima rates.

Prices are only determined by airlines and published on the Iran Civil Aviation Organization's website.

Iranian airports recorded 22,000 domestic and international flights during this period last year, transferring 2.78 million people, which show an 8% and 12% decline in the number of flights and number of passengers, respectively.

Intra-City Buses, Train Services

Tickets for intra-city bus services will be the only transport fees to witness an increase in prices, the head of Iran's Ministry of Roads and Urban Development was quoted as saying by Irinn.ir.

Road trips are the most popular transport service for Norouz travelers who account for two-thirds of trips during the two-week period.

Railroad trips are expected to experience a change in prices.

"Since August 2015, the price of train tickets has increased by only 10%," Saeed Rasouli, the head of Islamic Republic of Iran Railways, said in an interview.

The capacity of Iran's rail fleet has increased by about 15% and some 2.1 million seats are available on 5,170 trains during the spring holiday season.