Marriott International Sets Sight on Iran's Tourism Market
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A senior official with the US-listed hotel operator Marriott International in the UAE said it is seeking to enter Iran’s tourism market following the removal of anti-Tehran sanctions.
“…today (Persian) Gulf nationals account for nearly 55 to 60 percent of room nights and new markets are opening up with visitors from China, India and Iran,” Alex Kyriakidis, the president and managing director for the Middle East and Africa at Marriott International, said, The National reported.
He was speaking on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi at a press conference to formally launch the operator’s latest hotel in the UAE capital.
Kyriakidis further said the hotel chain company is keen to enter Iran’s market as the country is in need of hotels given the growing number of tourists entering Iran in the wake of last year’s nuclear agreement.
The announcement, however, put Marriot among a long list of global companies looking to steal a march on their rivals for a foothold in Iran.
Visitor numbers have soared since Iran reached an international nuclear agreement.
Tehran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany), reached the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), on July 14, 2015 and started implementing it on January 16.
