Barry Rosen, the last U.S. press attaché to Iran, was held hostage by Islamic revolutionaries from 1979-1981; Michael White, a U.S. Navy veteran, was held hostage there from 2018-2020. As Rosen and White observe, the Iranian regime continues to imprison American and European citizens, residents, and asylees on trumped-up charges, and the U.S. State Department and many of its foreign counterparts have for decades warned against travelling to the Islamic Republic. Despite this, American and European tourism companies continue to advertise immersive trips to the country—without including appropriate disclaimers. One company, Yomadic, “even features a tour inside the former embassy compound where [Rosen] was tortured and forced to endure mock executions.” They write:
One group, United Against Nuclear Iran, has identified and contacted nearly a dozen businesses peddling tours of Iran as well as leading industry-accreditation bodies to protest what it sees as misleading and needlessly reckless business practices. These companies paint cheerful, rosy pictures of immersive travel experiences to the Islamic Republic. . . . Somehow, disclaimers about Iran’s penchant for taking hostages are absent from any of this promotional literature.
Rosen and White also call industry accrediting bodies to account, and offer a way to mitigate the risks of travel:
Such warnings should be the minimum required for membership in America’s two flagship tourism accreditation bodies, the U.S. Tour Operator Association (USTOA) and the American Society for Travel Advisors (ASTA). The USTOA’s code of ethical conduct demands members represent “all facts, conditions, and requirements relating to tours and vacation packages truthfully and accurately.” Likewise the ASTA requires “members to be factual and accurate when providing information about their services.” Both USTOA and ASTA include many travel companies that promote tours of Iran.
These companies are conducting business dangerously, unethically, and naively. None have stopped selling expensive travel packages despite the risk of potential criminal negligence should one of their guests be kidnapped—as we were—or the risk of violating U.S. sanctions
Read more on Newsweek: https://www.newsweek.com/we-were-hostages-iran-us-can-prevent-more-stories-like-ours-opinion-1670766