Beach holiday in...Iran?

By Mohsin Asharia

Think of beach holidays in the Middle East and you’d be stretched thinking beyond Dubai and Sharm el Sheikh. In fact, Iran hardly sounds a destination promising sun, sea and sand. However, for one small island off the Persian Gulf coast, white beaches, glitzy malls and 7 star hotels make it the third most visited Middle Eastern tourist spot after Dubai & Sharm. But with the island under Iranian law, can this tax-free haven just a stone’s throw from Dubai ever rival the billionaire’s backyard?

History

When the Emirates and Sinai were deserts, the Shah was focused on making Kish the Monaco of the Middle East. A magazine article from 1978, when the island was inaugurated, describes how wealthy US investors pumped $400 million into the island in less than a year, and French staff, travelling to Kish by Concorde from Paris, brought with them “food, fine wines and preserves”. Like Monte Carlo, the defining feature of the island was the casino, with blonde dealers working their charms in black satin dresses.

When the Islamic Revolution took place the next year, the government did not want Kish’s prosperity to disappear with the Shah, and the island continued to be built up, with a new Dolphin Park and nature reserve being introduced. Whereas the Shah reserved Kish for the affluent, it was now open to all, and tourism flourished.

But then Dubai stole the show. Foreigners and even Iranians were attracted to the relaxed laws and bigger investments, and Kish’s palm trees were left parched.

Glamour

Over the last few years, Kish has once again entered the platform. Construction began on the $2 billion Flower of the East project to include a 7 star hotel, golf courses and leisure centres. And in April 2009, plans were approved to build Persian Gulf Sea City, to include an artificial island, in Kish.

1 million Iranian tourists now visit Kish every year, and there are 60 hotels on the island. Many Iranians favour Kish to foreign destinations to “let the money go into pockets of Iranians rather than foreigners”, but also because of the relaxed laws on the island.

Despite officially being under Islamic law, the regulations are less tightly enforced in Kish. Women ride bikes and smoke shisha pipes in public, and music concerts take place in malls. The same goes for clothing, with men wearing vests and Bermuda shorts on the streets. Women sport loose scarves and Capri trousers, and are even free to wear bikinis in the women’s only beaches. As one hotel manager puts it, “One report on women being bothered by vice squads, and business here would collapse and cause problems for both investors and government.”

The Future

With other destinations offering all that Kish does, it is still the Islamic law that thwarts Kish from climbing up the tourist hotspot list. Many still prefer the relative freedom that Dubai and the Red Sea offer, whilst still offering the perks of Halal cuisine and better shopping.

Kish is therefore in the midst of a battle between promoting foreign tourism without compromising its laws. Many believe the two are incompatible. Behzad Foroutan, 26, who runs an Esprit store in Kish, says “People want to be free when they come to the beach, but...for now we're stuck in a place where women have to wear the scarf if they want to visit.”

Others, such as Minou, 38, from Tehran, have made their standpoint very clear. “if (vice squads) bother me or my daughter just because a few strands of hair were seen under our scarves, then I would not hesitate to go again to Turkey or Dubai”.