According to the Public Relations and International Affairs of the Kish Free Zone Organization, the press conference for Kish Festival 05 was held on 16 August 2026 in the Razi Hall of the Kish International Conference Center, with the presence of Ali Hasanlou, Deputy of Tourism of the Kish Free Zone Organization, directors of this deputy, representatives of communities and tourism activists, and a number of media activists.
Continuing this meeting, Rahman Sadat Najafi, CEO of the Kish Bazaarists and Merchants Association, Seyed Hossein Khabnama, President of the Kish Hoteliers Association, Alireza Nouri, veteran investor of the Maryam commercial, recreational and hotel complexes, Hamid Ghaffari, CEO of the Kish Hospitality Centers Association, and Sina Abbasi, CEO of the Kish Sustainable Development and Prosperity Institute, explained the programs and capacities of the private sector to accompany Kish Festival 05 and strengthen the island’s tourism boom.
Markets’ Participation in Kish Festival 05
Rahman Sadat Najafi, CEO of the Kish Bazaarists and Merchants Association, referring to the markets’ continuous accompaniment with the island’s tourism programs, said: Kish merchants have participated in providing prizes, gifts and implementing joint programs in various festival periods, and this participation will continue this year centered on the Kish Sustainable Development and Prosperity Institute.
He, appreciating the market activists who continued their operations in recent months, added: Kish markets are ready to welcome tourists and many operators in this field also offer their goods under suitable conditions so that the shopping sector, alongside other festival capacities, becomes more attractive for tourists.
Sadat Najafi, referring to the presence of various private sector associations in the Kish Sustainable Development and Prosperity Institute, said: the Bazaarists Association, the Hoteliers Association, the Hospitality Centers Association, the Travel and Tourism Offices Association and the Club Owners Association are present in this institution and efforts are being made for private sector joint programs to be pursued with more focus and coordination through this institute.
Developing Trade Capacities with the Seaman Goods Procedure
The CEO of the Bazaarists and Merchants Association cited the activation of the seaman goods procedure capacity for Kish as another opportunity before the island’s economic actors and said: with the follow-ups carried out, the relevant permits for this procedure have been obtained for Kish and its implementation process is being pursued through the Customs of the Kish Free Zone.
He explained the difference between the seaman goods procedure and other commercial procedures and added: in this structure, Kish is considered the origin of goods and goods can be transferred from the island to the relevant ports and, after completing legal formalities, enter the mainland. This capacity can create a new route alongside current activities for Kish traders and market operators.
Sadat Najafi, referring to the commercial history of Kish markets, said: historically many of the island’s commercial booths were operated by merchants who, alongside retail, were also active in imports and trade, and using new commercial capacities can strengthen this function.
He also considered specialization of markets and formation of commercial rows as developable capacities in Kish and added: creating specialized markets and rows in areas such as gold, computers, mobile phones and other commodity groups, with the cooperation of owners, economic actors and the Kish Free Zone Organization, can help increase the attractiveness of the island’s markets.
Sadat Najafi concluded by mentioning follow-up to temporarily increase the passenger accompanying goods exemption ceiling from 80 dollars to two thousand dollars and considered this capacity, alongside the seaman goods procedure, effective in developing trade activities and increasing the attractiveness of shopping in Kish.
Special Hotel Discounts to Boost Travel
Seyed Hossein Khabnama, President of the Kish Hoteliers Association, emphasizing the readiness of the island’s hotels to accompany Kish Festival 05, said: currently, the organization and private sector are working with a common goal to increase travel to the island and strengthen Kish tourism, and the Hoteliers Association will also employ all its capacities in this path.
He announced special discounts in hotel complexes and added: to start the September programs, discounts of up to 70 percent have been considered so that by reducing the share of accommodation in travel costs, Kish tourism packages are offered to travelers under more favorable conditions.
Khabnama emphasized: the combination of hotel discounts with agency services, flights, travel facilities and festival incentives can create an attractive package for travel to Kish and the private sector is ready to provide its capacities to this program to further boost the island.
Increasing Flight Capacity for Tourist Entry
The President of the Kish Hoteliers Association described developing flight capacity as one of the important axes for increasing passenger arrivals and announced planning to add about two thousand seats to the island’s flight capacity from early September.
He added: using the capacity of airlines to increase flights from Tehran and other cities is being pursued and expanding operational hours and airport capacity can also help increase the number of inbound and outbound flights to Kish.
Khabnama, referring to the normalization of air route activities in the south of the country, said: increased flight capacity, hotel discounts and cooperation of tourism complexes can pave the way for a stronger start to travels to Kish.
He also emphasized maximum use of private sector capacity in transportation and said: active companies are ready to provide more incentives for tourists in areas such as accommodation, transportation and ancillary services so that travel to Kish can take place under better conditions.
Readiness to Develop Cultural and Artistic Events
Alireza Nouri, veteran investor of the Maryam commercial, recreational and hotel complexes, referring to the private sector’s role in developing Kish, said: this island has been shaped by investment, effort and the interest of economic actors, and the continuation of this accompaniment can create a brighter future for Kish tourism.
He, appreciating investors, merchants, tourism activists and content producers who have played a role in introducing the island’s capacities, emphasized: Kish has unique capacities and continuously introducing these capacities can facilitate increased travel and tourist presence.
Nouri also announced the readiness of the Maryam complex’s infrastructure to host cultural and artistic programs and said: the complex’s hall is ready to hold concerts and events and negotiations have been conducted with music program organizers in this regard.
He added: the presence of artists and performing diverse cultural and musical programs can, alongside the festival, travel incentives and other tourism programs, create more attraction for travel to Kish.
Upgrading Tourist Spaces and Strengthening the Hosting Experience
This veteran investor also considered attention to tourist and urban spaces effective in improving the travel experience and emphasized renovating the recreational pier and organizing and upgrading tourist high-traffic spots.
Nouri also named hospitality as one of Kish’s most important advantages and said: friendly treatment of passengers and providing deserving services play a decisive role in shaping the tourist experience and can facilitate repeat travel to the island.
Referring to decades of experience in Kish activity, he stressed the accompaniment of investors and private sector actors with tourism boom programs and said: the island’s economic actors remain committed to developing Kish and welcoming tourists.
Hospitality Centers’ Readiness for the Festival
Hamid Ghaffari, CEO of the Kish Hospitality Centers Association, referring to this sector’s readiness to accompany Kish Festival 05, said: nearly 90 percent of hospitality centers are active and the association’s members are ready to increase tourist entries and start festival programs.
He described hospitality centers as one of the main pillars of the tourist experience in Kish and added: operators in this field have tried to maintain competitive prices alongside service quality, and with the start of the festival, the presence of these centers in the island’s revitalization programs will become more pronounced.
Ghaffari, referring to price comparisons of hospitality services in cities such as Tehran, Mashhad and Shiraz, said: price comparisons show that hospitality services in Kish are competitive and the island’s active complexes strive to maintain this advantage by focusing on tourist satisfaction and providing appropriate services.
He emphasized: the Hospitality Centers Association is present alongside the festival programs with all its capacity and its members are ready to participate in actions that lead to increased tourist satisfaction and the island’s boom.
Upgrading the Appearance of Hospitality Centers
The CEO of the Kish Hospitality Centers Association announced planning to upgrade the appearance of hospitality complexes and said: presenting related designs and starting the reconstruction and renovation program of centers’ facades has been put on the agenda
He added: in interaction with the Tourism Deputy, the issue of contracts and creating conditions for long-term investment of complexes is also being followed and with the completion of this process, operators can implement their development and reconstruction plans with a longer-term perspective.
Ghaffari emphasized: the goal is that alongside service quality and food variety, the appearance of Kish hospitality centers is also upgraded in line with the island’s tourism status and becomes one of the components of a desirable tourist experience.
Increasing the Private Sector’s Role in Kish Festival 05
Sina Abbasi, CEO of the Kish Sustainable Development and Prosperity Institute, referring to the establishment of this institute with the participation of private sector associations and guild communities, said: the institute, alongside the Kish Free Zone Organization, has started its activities with the aim of a more cohesive role for the private sector in revitalization plans and will have a stronger presence in prizes, raffles and facilities in Kish Festival 05.
He added: the Kish Sustainable Development and Prosperity Institute is the product of private sector associations’ participation and, alongside the organization, pursues projects that can help improve the business environment and develop the island’s economic boom.
Abbasi, referring to the experience of providing credit facilities, said: in May this year about 500 billion tomans of facilities were paid to nearly 9,000 people and this experience has created the groundwork for developing new credit services for tourists and island operators.
Plan to Increase Travel Facilities up to 200 Million Tomans
The CEO of the Kish Sustainable Development and Prosperity Institute announced offering one-year 50 million toman facilities to tourists from the start of Kish Festival 05 and said: this credit will be available to travelers during the festival and a plan to increase its ceiling is also underway.
He added: it has been planned that from mid-September, with the completion of executive processes, the possibility of increasing facilities up to a ceiling of 200 million tomans for each tourist will be provided.
Abbasi, referring to the private sector’s role in supplying festival prizes, said: alongside the weekly prize of one one-kilogram silver bar, other prizes of considerable value have also been predicted so that a larger number of tourists can benefit from the advantages of presence and purchase on the island.
Development of Royal Kish Services and Launch of Kish Card
The CEO of the Kish Sustainable Development and Prosperity Institute, referring to the development of the Royal Kish project, said: the goal is that providing travel credit services not be a limited temporary program and continue as a sustainable product belonging to Kish Island.
He added: this model has been designed as a landtech product for the island and is intended to continuously serve tourists and Kish’s economy.
Abbasi also announced planning to launch the Kish Card in the second half of September and said: this scheme will enter the implementation phase after completing related steps and obtaining necessary approvals.
He announced another plan called Ambassador of Kish and added: this plan will be unveiled in a separate program and capacities for various groups of Kish residents and tourists are envisaged in it.
The CEO of the Kish Sustainable Development and Prosperity Institute emphasized: the Royal Kish secretariat and the institute are ready to provide complete information regarding how to obtain facilities, conditions for participating in raffles and how prizes are awarded to media and applicants.
Private Sector’s Readiness to Host Tourists
Abbasi, referring to the readiness of the island’s economic and tourism complexes, said: Kish’s hotels, restaurants, markets and recreational complexes are active and ready to host travelers and Kish Festival 05 provides an opportunity to invite compatriots to travel to the island once again.
He added: the festival, which in past years was limited to the summer season, this year with planning by the Tourism Deputy has gained the capability to continue in subsequent months and this approach can provide the groundwork for sustaining events and travel incentives throughout the year.
The CEO of the Kish Sustainable Development and Prosperity Institute, in conclusion, considered the cooperation of associations, guild communities, economic actors and media effective in introducing the festival’s capacities and emphasized: the island’s private sector is ready, alongside the Kish Free Zone Organization, to play a role in worthy hosting of tourists and strengthening Kish’s economic boom.