French firm to construct hotels in Iran

/By AzerNews/

By Sara Rajabova

The normalization of relations between Iran and the West following the July nuclear deal has contributed to the development of the cooperation between the Islamic Republic and European countries.

European companies have lined up to take advantage of cooperation with Iran after the removal of international sanctions imposed on the country over its nuclear energy program.

French companies expressed strong determination to expand cooperation with Tehran and enter the vast Iranian market after the lifting of sanctions.

One of the alluring areas of cooperation is Iran’s tourism sector that country has seriously focused on developing.

AccorHotels, which is the world's sixth-largest hotel group, said it plans to open an Ibis hotel and a Novotel branch near Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport.

It could make the French company the first international hotel group to operate in Iran in light of the July nuclear breakthrough between Iran and the P5+1.

According to the contract signed on September 15, Iran handed over management of two four and five-star hotels at the airport to the French AccorHotels group, Iran’s Fars news agency reported.

The four-star hotels are scheduled to open for business on October 15, with a total of nearly 500 rooms.

Aimed at both international and Iranian business travelers, they will be equipped with meeting rooms, conference spaces and spas, fitness suites, and swimming pools.

Bruno Foucher, the French ambassador to Tehran, said on the sidelines of the contract singing ceremony that the event indicates the return of one of the largest international hotel groups to Iran following the nuclear deal.

Foucher added that the presence of the two French hotel brands at Imam KhomeiniInternational Airport, which is of strategic importance, is a positive step and will pave path for other French brands to enter Iran.

AccorHotels' chief executive Sebastien Bazin earlier said there is an enormous potential for development of its brands in this country of nearly 80 million inhabitants whose economy is growing fast, AFP reported.

Christophe Landais, chief operating officer of AccorHotels Middle East, said in July that the group was involved in talks with Iranian officials regarding management agreements for the two hotels.

Rotana hotels group, based in Abu Dhabi, has also confirmed that it is opening four hotels in Iran – two in Mashhad and two in Tehran – all of which will open by 2018.

Masoud Soltanifar, the head of Cultural Heritage Organization saidaccommodation facilities should be established for all incoming tourists with different income levels, either domestic or foreign, noting that currently, there is a serious lack of 4- and 5-star hotels which are crucial in attracting foreign tourists.

Iran’s tourism industry expects a boom after the lifting of the international sanctions. Iran – with an ancient history, mix of cultures, different climatic zones, and beautiful nature –is taking measures to boost its tourism sector, which has been neglected after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Iran is seen as one of the world’s top potential tourist destinations, as it contains a countless number of ancient sites. The country ranks fourth in Asia and first in the Middle East in terms of the number of world heritage sites, with an impressive 17 historic sites that have been added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The Islamic Republic has attached considerable significance to its booming tourism industry in recent years.