Iranian travel agencies said the January 2026 internet blackout severely disrupted ticketing, international reservations, visa processing and communication with foreign partners.
Amirpouyan Rafiishad, head of the Tehran province association of air-travel and tourism offices, described the sector as effectively paralyzed while international connectivity remained unavailable or unstable.
International booking systems became difficult or impossible to reach
Travel agencies depend on systems such as Amadeus, airline portals, visa platforms and international email. During the shutdown, access to many of those services was blocked or unreliable.
Even domestic airline reservation systems could be slow or difficult to use because parts of the travel-industry workflow still depended on infrastructure outside Iran.
Demand for travel had already fallen sharply
Industry representatives said the problem was not only technical. Regional tensions, economic pressure and uncertainty had already reduced leisure travel and even some business travel before the blackout intensified the disruption.
That combination left agencies with fewer customers at the same time that the systems needed to serve those customers were becoming inaccessible.
The Tourism Ministry’s temporary internet room was not enough
The Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts created a temporary international-internet access room for travel agencies in Tehran so they could issue tickets, access Amadeus, track visas and use email.
Rafiishad said the measure could not realistically serve the roughly 2,000 tourism-service companies in Tehran and argued that the industry needed normal internet access rather than a centralized workaround.
The January crisis became more severe later in 2026
The industry was still recovering when war began on February 28. Flight disruptions, a second near-total internet shutdown, travel warnings and widespread cancellations created another, much larger shock.
Tourism representatives later estimated losses above 20 trillion tomans and said agencies faced major refund and cash-flow problems.
Practical advice during a shutdown
During severe connectivity disruptions, travelers should confirm flights directly with the airline or a licensed agency, keep copies of tickets and payment records, and avoid relying on social-media rumors about cancellations or schedule changes.
Sources: ISNA interviews with Tehran travel-agency representatives, Iran’s Tourism Ministry and subsequent 2026 tourism-industry reporting.
