Iran plans to boost "Islamic tourism" on Gulf island (Feature)

By Farshid Motahari Aug 5, 2008, 2:07 GMT

Kish Island, Iran - With finite reserves of oil and gas, Iran is desperately looking for alternative revenues to fuel, which makes up more than 80 per cent of the country's income.

Iran believes it has found the perfect solution in tourism and is therefore planning huge investments in the travel industry.

The aim is easier said than done, especially in a country where, due to strict Islamic restrictions, alcohol consumption, popular music and dancing are banned and women must observe the obligatory dress code of headscarf and long gown.

Most Iranians show little interest in holidaying inside Iran and prefer to spend more money and go to neighbouring Turkey or the United Arab Emirates where they can at least skip the scarf and gown in the hot summer season.

Expecting foreigners to travel to Iran as tourists under these conditions seems unrealistic.

Tehran has nonetheless drawn up an ambitious 10-year plan for the 2005-15 period to promote 'Islamic tourism,' which is supposed to have attractions unlike any standard Western vacation norms.

The plan is focused on Kish Island in southern Iran. The Gulf island has an area of 92 square kilometres and a population of 22,000, mainly migrants from other parts of Iran.

'The rules and restrictions in Iran are in the meantime (almost 30 years after the 1979 Islamic revolution) quite known, also to Western tourists, so there is nothing we can do but work on alternative programmes,' said Hamid-Reza Tahmasseb-Pour, deputy head of the Free Trade Zone Centre on Kish Island.

The coasts of Kish boast coral reefs and the climate, like in neighbouring Dubai, is hot and humid most of the year, except in winter when it gets mild.

The island was built in the 1970s by the late Iranian king, Mohammad-Reza Pahlavi, mainly for the royal family and some privileged local and foreign guests.

The Kish casino at that time - reportedly offering the services of high-class prostitutes from abroad - was a popular venue for the Iranian and foreign elite.

After the Islamic revolution, Kish Island turned into a free trade zone with numerous malls and business opportunities for both local and foreign investors.

Kish has an international airport with 50 flights coming in every day from the capital Tehran and other major cities, as well as neighbouring Gulf states.

There are currently 44 hotels on the island, ranging in quality from three to five stars, and even one that claims to be a seven-star hotel, the solar-powered Kourosh.

The main advantage of the island is that foreign nationals - except nationals from Iran's arch-foe Israel - can come to Kish without an entry visa.

Those who wish to travel from the island to Tehran or other cities can directly apply at a special Foreign Ministry branch office in Kish.

'Due to the climate differences throughout Iran, we can offer foreign tourists a summer vacation at the beach on Kish and within a few hours, a winter vacation with skiing facilities,' Tahmasseb-Pour said.

This would realistically be feasible from October to end of March, he added. The main skiing runs are in Shemshak, one hour east of the capital Tehran, and Dizin, some three hours north.

They can be reached from Kish within a 90-minute flight.

The problems of this plan would again be Islamic restrictions as the beaches in Kish are strictly separated, even for married couples. Also for skiing, women are again forced to observe the Islamic dress code.

Instead hotel managers in Kish say that prices for accommodation and food are more than half what foreigners would have to pay in Europe and even in neighbouring Dubai, which is only 200 kilometres - or 25 minutes by plane - south-west of the island.

'Kish is a paradise for families and especially for kids,' Tahmasseb-Pour said, adding that not all Western tourists were after wild vacations and some preferred a relaxing time with the family.

A major attraction for children is the dolphin show in a park surrounded by palm trees and cactuses. The park also has an exotic bird garden.

The island has numerous shopping opportunities with prices lower than in Europe. Some of the international brands sold in Kish come from South-east Asia and are fake.

Many Iranians come to Kish for the diving, which is said to be much cheaper than in other parts of the region.

The biggest golf course in the Middle East is currently being constructed on Kish with German assistance and is due to be ready in 2011.

Unlike Tehran and other big cities, there is no air pollution in Kish, mainly as there is no industry on the island and almost no traffic.

All projects on the island are planned and implemented according to environmentally friendly rules.

The Kish Free Trade Zone Centre is planning to sign contracts with tourism agencies in Spain, Germany and Sweden. The first direct flight from Madrid to Kish is planned for next month. Flights from Stockholm are expected to follow.

Since February, Kish has been the site of the international oil bourse, and there are plans to open more international universities and the first hotel school on the island.

Kish would eventually become 'the Iranian garden' of the Gulf, Tahmasseb-Pour said.