Beyond historical adversaries: Exploring new grounds for peace through tourism between iran and the us

Scholars are increasingly exploring tourism as a means of promoting peace, largely on the basis that cultural understanding and interaction occur when particular forms of host-guest contact occur. The purpose of this article is to apply theoretical insights from the growing body of scholarship on tourism-related peace that would be most relevant to tourism between two historical adversaries: Iran and the US. After touching upon the historical and current nature of tourism to Iran, we focused on theoretically informed opportunities for peace through tourism between these two countries, that is, the forms of US visitation most likely to facilitate tourism-related improvements in relations between citizens of these two countries. The policy and planning recommendations emphasized here will be of relevance to those interested in tourism-facilitated peace regardless of geographic context.