Abstract

This article studies the problems and obstacles impeding the development of tourism industry in Iran, focusing on marketing and promotion. For this purpose, it initially deals with the literature of tourism and marketing and then the importance of the research is expressed. After collecting and analyzing data, the following items were identified as main obstacles to the development of tourism industry in Iran: lack of promotion in Iran’s attractions in target markets; inefficiency of national and international transportation facilities and systems; low quality of services such as hospitality and entertainment facilities; International negative publicity against Iran and insufficient training of people who are involved in the country’s tourism industry.

Key words: Tourism industry, obstacles, marketing, publicity, international tourists.