Accor group brings Ibis and Novotel brands to Tehran as travel agents prepare for rush of visitors wanting to see country after 30 years in diplomatic exile

French leisure group Accor is to open two hotels in Iran, in one of the first moves by international operators into an expected tourism boom in the country following the deal over its nuclear programme.

Two of Accor’s best known chains – Ibis and Novotel – are to open next month at Tehran’s international airport, as Iran scrambles to improve its infrastructure ahead of what one tour operator described as a big onslaught of foreign tourists.

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This article was written by Saeed Kamali Dehghan for The Guardian on Sep. 16, 2015. Saeed Kamali Dehghan is a staff journalist with the Guardian. He has previously written from the Iranian capital, Tehran. He is now based in London and was named 2010 Journalist of the Year at the Foreign Press Association awards.