IRAN: Iran Is Open And Ready For Tourism

Iran is open for tourism. This Middle Eastern country, for decades demonized as dark and dangerous, has become today's surprising destination of choice for the adventurous and curious traveler.

Although interest from Americans is the immediate result of the nuclear pact struck by the U.S. and other world powers last July, renewed tourism from America was given a strong nudge back in 2013 with the arrival of moderate-leaning president Hassan Rouhani, an advocate of reconciliation with the West.

But for an ancient culture like Persia, decades of turmoil are but a historical blip. These people have been turning their charm on visitors for two millennia, since before the era of the Silk Road. In fact, Persia's age-old tradition of hospitality was the only extremism we found during our visit from April 25 to May 12. And we found it at every turn; I have never felt so welcomed.

The takeaway from my trip to Iran was this: Do not confuse a government with its people.

This was one of many complexities patiently untangled for us by Mahmoud Daryaee, our on-the-ground national guide during an 18-day itinerary of Ancient Persia/Modern Iran with the Mir Corporation.

American, Canadian and U.K. visitors to Iran must be accompanied at all times. The rule does not extend to Europeans, although the few we met were traveling on guided tours. Nevertheless, a guided tour is clearly the only practical -- and, I found, enjoyable -- way to visit a country with limited infrastructure and with so much history and heritage to explore.

Mir also oversees the visa application process which, while doable by oneself, can be a delicate and time-consuming dance.

Daryaee had a great deal of help in his attempts to lift the veil on one of the oldest cultures on Earth, a culture known to most of us solely through the lens of American media. His backup came in the form of our polyglot Mir tour leader, Netherlands-born Michel Behar, who has been working with the Seattle-based tour company for 20 of the 30 years it has been bringing visitors to the world's less-visited corners. For the last 15 years, that has included Iran.

The country has been continuously under fire for its human rights abuses, its refusal to recognize Israel and its obsessive nuclear ambitions. It was this last issue that, in 2015, made world news when Iran agreed to a landmark nuclear pact with the U.S. and five other world powers to curtail its nuclear program in exchange for an easing of international sanctions worth billions of dollars to the country's economy.

This long-overdue rapprochement, it was felt, would help end Iran's isolation, salvage a battered economy and improve relations.

No industry stood to see a bigger boost than tourism. Investment opportunities are attractive to American and European companies, especially in such areas of endeavor as aviation and hospitality, both of which will be crucial to an infrastructure that intends to court Western tourists.

The U.S. government had never banned travel to Iran the way it had to Cuba. Iran had been a popular destination during the time of shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. But after he was overthrown in 1979, ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the architect, founder and supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, bolted Iran's front door shut.

Close to four decades later, the unthinkable has happened: Iran is back on America's tourism radar.