The city of Yazd, known as the heart of Iran's famed "Golden Triangle" of tourism, is currently struggling amid U.S.-Iran conflict with economic toll.
Six months after the conflict, Iran's economy is still feeling the shockwaves.
The ancient city of Yazd was a bustling crossroads for travelers from around the world, but the city's streets are quiet and hotels are empty.
"The recent wars in Iran have severely damaged foreign tourism. And the situation is not improving. Many of our colleagues are in a desperate situation, struggling to generate any revenue at all," said Mehdi Mirzaei, a proprietor at the Yazd Art House.
The fighting between the U.S.-Israel coalition and Iran has largely subsided, but the economic aftershocks continue to ripple.
The city of Yazd was built on welcoming visitors, so the impact has been devastating.
Once, hotels in the historic Fahadan district were booked months in advance.
Tourists marveled at the wind catchers and walked the ancient lanes.
But that was before the 12-day war in June last year, and then the renewed conflict in February.
Since then, almost no tourists have come.
More than half of Yazd's tourism facilities are now closed or operating at a loss, with some hotels reporting occupancy below 5 percent.
The "Golden Triangle" of Iranian tourism is now a ghost route.
For proprietors at the Yazd Art House, the collapse of tourism is personal.
Their hotel, once a vibrant gathering place, now stands as a monument to what has been lost.
"The absence of foreign tourists is very clearly felt. We went through a period of pause when our target customers shifted from international to domestic. That forced us to rethink our entire product and tailor it to Iranian tastes," said Goli Pourkavian, another proprietor.
The shift to domestic travelers has kept them afloat, but barely.
They had to completely reshape their offerings to survive. Yet the uncertainty remains.
"We hope we can survive. We are waiting for borders to reopen and peace to return, so people can travel, explore, and enjoy again. When that day comes, tourism, the economy, and the arts will flourish once more," said Pourkavian.
Iran's tourism industry suffers from impact of six months of conflict
China has launched a 24-hour English-language hotline for families of those still listed as missing in the devastating mudslide and floods that struck a border zone between the Xizang Autonomous Region of China and neighboring Nepal on August 26, receiving nearly 600 calls in two weeks since its entry into service.
As search and rescue operations enter their third week, Kelsang Chudzong, director of the Protocol and Information Division at the Foreign Affairs Office of the Xizang Autonomous Region, said that the primary concerns of victims' families have somewhat shifted.
"In the early stage, family members of foreigners still listed as missing were mainly concerned about the progress of our search-and-rescue efforts, as well as verification of information about missing relatives and friends. As search and rescue work moves forward, they are more concerned about matters related to DNA sampling," Kelsang said.
The catastrophic flash flood and mudslide triggered by a glacial collapse on the Nepalese side struck the remote China-Nepal border region on Aug 26 morning, causing heavy casualties and leaving thousands of people missing. The hardest-hit Chinese part of the border region lies in Gyirong, Xigaze.
Kelsang also noted that family members were concerned about the procedures for foreign relatives traveling into Xizang, as well as other related follow-up processes.
The hotline has been operational since the end of August. Together with colleagues in Xigaze, the team manning the hotline has taken nearly 600 calls as of Wednesday.
In the past few days, calls from families of people still listed as missing on the Chinese side have gradually decreased. But the team continues to stay by the phone 24/7.
"We listen very patiently to every caller's needs and carefully record every piece of leading information. In the process, we do our utmost to provide emotional support and reassurance to these family members," Kelsang said.
She said that the team has established a "one person, one file" system which lays the groundwork for follow-up tasks, and that the team members will continue to do what they can to contribute to the ongoing relief and rescue work.
Hotline for missing people after deadly Nepal avalanche tops 600 calls
