Iran advises travel agents against promoting pop singers: Details inside

TEHRAN - The government  of Iran has advised the travel agents against marketing compaigns designed to attract travelers to pop singers' concerts.

The General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts of Tehran Province, has issued directives targeting tours marketed by Iran-based tourism agencies that include performances by diaspora singers in neighboring countries.

In a letter addressed to travel and tourism agencies in Tehran, Parham Janfeshan, the director-general of cultural heritage, tourism in Tehran Province, expressed concerns about certain travel agencies advertising and selling tickets for concerts by some singers, including those from Los Angeles.

The letter underscores the importance of adherence to “Islamic values” and warns against potential violations, in a visible hint that travel agencies should not promote such events through their marketing.

The travel agents have been warned that those involved in the promotion and sale of services related to these concerts might face penalties, Iranintl reported.

Hormatollah Rafiei, the head of the guild for Travel Service Offices and Tourism, warned against violations and emphasized that travel agencies operating permits don't have the right to promote these concerts.

After the Iranian revolution, some of the pop singers of country decided to leave the country and pursue their passion abroad. Some of the renowned names now perform in nearby countries and arrange concerts there to attract Iranians.

A few of these pop singers are also based in the United States and arrange concerts in countries like Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan; Iranians travel to these places to attend the events, an activity disliked by the ruling regme. 

Interestingly, the Los Angeles region is home to the world’s largest Iranian community outside of Iran and has been a cause of worry for the ruling regime back home due to protests against the very regime. 

At one end, the Iranian pop stars like Shahin Najafi and Mohsen Namjou attract their countrymen tto different neighbouring regions while at the other end, these musicians also have a solid fanbase in European countries. 

Though the holding of concerts can't be blocked by the leaders in iran, they are going against the travel agents who promote such events andd arrange tours to the countries having concerts of Iranian singers; the fresh directive aims to curb such activities though its effectiveness has yet to be ascertained in days to come.