A new dawn? The Iran nuclear deal and the future of the Iranian tourism industry

Iran's tourism industry has suffered significantly over the past three decades as a consequence of a number of issues, including negative imagery in the tourism generating markets, political tensions with the West as a result of Iran's nuclear programme and poor management. But perhaps one of the most important issues affecting tourism development in Iran has been the wide ranging and crippling international sanctions against Iran in relation to its nuclear programme. However, after more than a decade of negotiations, on 14 July 2015, Iran and the P5+ 1 finally reached a comprehensive agreement on Iran's nuclear programme, which has given many, both inside and outside of Iran, the hope of a brighter future for the country. This paper aims to explore the possible impact of this agreement on the future development of the Iranian tourism industry. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.