London buses inspire new Tehran tourism
Monday May 21, 2007
Tourist attractions have long been trumped by traffic jams and choking pollution as Tehran's defining hallmarks. Now London-style sightseeing buses are to offer street tours in an effort to transform the image of a city described by the Lonely Planet Guide as Iran's "big, loud, chaotic, vibrant and ugly beating heart".
Tourism chiefs believe that behind the fumes and often characterless modern buildings lies a capital rich with religious, cultural and architectural heritage.
Sights on the itinerary include the carpet museum and Niavaran and Sa'ad Abad palaces, used by the last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, before he was toppled in the 1979 Islamic revolution. Special religious tours will visit pilgrimage sights such as the Shah Abdolazim shrine, dating back to the ninth century and honouring a descendant of the prophet Muhammad who reputedly fled to Iran from Medina to escape persecution.
Organisers adopted the scheme after studying tourism in Britain, France, Spain and neighbouring Middle Eastern countries.
Masoud Gholami, general director of Ganjineh Banader, which runs the tours, said the idea was inspired by bus tours popular among visitors to London.
Initial tours will be aimed largely at domestic tourists, although guides will be fluent in English and other languages.
The first bus tours will take place in single-decker coaches. Old double-deckers that have been out of regular service for decades are being converted into open-air buses. New twin-deck buses will also be built to offer tours during the summer.
On days when pollution is at dangerous levels, there will be closed buses.
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