200% Growth in Nowruz Travelers and Officials Caught Off Guard Once Again

After two years of coronavirus restrictions and travel bans, Nowruz 1401 saw many Iranians hit the road to compensate for two years of staying home. However, responsible officials were caught off guard once again and failed to manage the flood of Nowruz travelers.

The lack of necessary infrastructure to accommodate the influx of travelers, who in some cities increased by up to 200% compared to previous years, arbitrary price hikes, and limited roads have caused numerous problems for Nowruz travelers.

The CEO of the Ports and Maritime Organization told IRNA: “550,000 passengers traveled through maritime passenger terminals in Hormozgan Province in the first five days of the facilitated maritime travel plan during Nowruz 1401, representing a 186% increase compared to the same period in 1398 before coronavirus started.”

The director of Shahid Darvishi Hormuz Port also told IRNA: “The ports and maritime organization had all necessary precautions in place, but matters beyond our control disrupted the equations.”

He also referred to “a strange new phenomenon of explosive price increases in services provided by local residents” and said: “A four-fold increase in food prices at local houses and a five-fold increase in island tour prices has also affected ship operations.”

One traveler confirmed this in a conversation with IRNA, saying that although he arrived at the port at 6 AM with his family to go to Hormuz Island, upon arrival he faced prices several times higher than expected and announced, and left the island without touring it.

For example, the price of a motorized tricycle tour on the island, based on information this traveler had gathered before traveling, was between 250,000 to 350,000 tomans for two hours, but when they arrive, they face prices of one to one and a half million tomans.

The Hormuz Port director, while confirming this, said: “Based on previous years’ experience, we knew the peak hours of passenger arrival and departure to the island and planned accordingly, but the high prices of services caused passengers, instead of staying the usual 12 hours, to plan to return upon arrival and learning about the island’s situation, which disrupted our previous planning.”

Capacity is Full!

The Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts also confirms that the capacity of official accommodation centers in major cities and tourist and pilgrimage sites was full on the third day of Nowruz holidays.

Ezzatollah Zarghami told ISNA: “Major pilgrimage and tourist cities have faced accommodation problems.”

According to the Cultural Heritage Minister, in high-traffic provinces such as Fars, Bushehr, Hormozgan, Yazd, Isfahan and northern cities, the capacity of official accommodations is full and emergency places such as schools, Husseiniyas and sports halls are being used to house Nowruz travelers.

Do Not Travel to Turkey and Armenia!

But this situation is no better for travelers who have the financial means to travel to neighboring countries.

The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Armenia announced on the first day of Farvardin: “Passage across the land route from Iran to Armenia, particularly in the Syunik Province area, has been disrupted and Armenian authorities have been forced to take measures for emergency assistance and temporary shelter for stranded travelers. Also, given the forecast for continued snowfall in Armenia, severe cold and unpredictable road conditions in the coming days, dear compatriots are strongly advised to refrain from using the land route from our country to Armenia until the road situation clears and the current disruption is resolved.”

The Director General of the Transit and International Transportation Office of the Road Organization also said: “Land borders with Turkey have also been affected by waves of rain and snowfall in recent days. Although the road has been cleared of snow, traffic is moving slowly, and temperatures in the border area are around 10 degrees below zero, making conditions very difficult for women and children.”

Special warnings have been issued to travelers driving their own vehicles to the border city of Van in Turkey to bring warm clothing and ensure their vehicle’s heating system is working properly.

Forty Deaths Daily in Road Accidents

Meanwhile, the situation with road accidents has been reported to be worse than in previous years.

The deputy chief of traffic police told ISNA about the death of 322 people in traffic accidents from March 16 until now, meaning more than forty people per day.

According to him, “inattention to the road, exceeding the speed limit and inability to control vehicles” have been the main causes of traffic accidents during this period.

He also said that traffic on Iran’s roads during this period increased by 41%.

Source: DW