Page 46 - IRANRptJun20

9.1.6​ Tourism sector news
Tourism was one of the few ​sectors​ of Iran's economy that had not fallen prey to successive rounds of US economic sanctions unleashed by the Donald Trump administration. But now ​Iran​ is facing an even more formidable foe than Washington, as the coronavirus pandemic sweeps through the Islamic Republic. Nearly​ 7,000 people have died from COVID-19 in Iran, according to Iran's health ministry.
Following the news of spiking deaths from the deadly virus, Armenia, Turkey, Afghanistan and Azerbaijan reportedly joined the list of neighbours sealing up their borders with Iran.​ Azerbaijan gradually closed its borders, including in Bilarsavur and Astara, the latter closing later in the day.
Nurseries, schools and public events such as sports matches have all been cancelled until further notice, with the government and private businesses now warning people to not shake hands or be in close confines with each other. The news follows parliamentary elections which saw large crowds of people standing in line – some with masks – to vote on February 21.
On February 22, the Armenian Foreign Ministry called on citizens to halt travel to Iran. The ministry asked those who are on the Iranian side to contact the Armenian embassy.
By afternoon on February 23, Turkish Airlines announced it was cancelling all flights to and from Iran by the end of the day.
Flights via Iraqi Airways to Baghdad were officially “delayed” on the board; it is not known whether the return flight to the neighbour will carry passengers.
Iranian authorities have ordered all travel agencies, airlines and hotels to
refund all bookings and tickets and waive all cancellation fees.
Faced with a crisis of this magnitude, many businesses that depend on tourism
are either closing their doors or letting go of staff to cut costs.
9.1.7 ​TMT sector news
Iran sees 90% increase in legal imports of mobile phones
Official import statistics show that mobile phone imports into Iran via registered dealers rose by 90% y/y in the 2019/2020 Persian year (ended March 19), ITMEN has reported.
Iran’s Mobiles, Tablets and Accessories Import Association last October put out a report in which its chairman Hussein Gharavi-Ram said that there is annual demand in the country for 12mn to 14mn mobile devices. According to the data on the last Iranian calendar year, 15.38mn mobile devices were legally shipped to Iran, of which 14mn devices have been activated by consumers on the Iranian mobile network.
However, more recent figures on imported phones suggest that from the beginning of the 2020/2021 Persian year to May 19, only 700,000 devices entered Iran—the decline, of more than 40% compared to the preceding two-month period—likely partly reflected the impact the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has made on Iran.
Samsung devices are still the most used on Iran’s mobile market, with a market share of 56%. After Samsung, comes Nokia with 17%, Huawei with 9%, Xiaomi with 7%, Apple with 5% and Honor with 3%. Nokia and Xiaomi have seen significant growth in their market share over the past year. The Finnish brand made a comeback after a decade in obscurity thanks to its brand recognition and a budget pricing stratégy similar to those pursued by its Chinese competitors.
The Samsung Galaxy A10, A10s and A50 and the Nokia 106 (feature phone)
46​ IRAN Country Report June 2020 www.intellinews.com