Tourism public policy agenda setting: insights from Iran

Tourism public policies cannot be developed unless tourism issues are prioritized within the public policy agenda. However, how these issues reach the agenda remains understudied. This paper investigates tourism in Iran’s public policy agenda from 2013 to 2021, analysing three key elements: issues, actors, and the broader policy environment. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with tourism policy experts, findings indicate that tourism remains peripheral in national policymaking. Sector-specific stakeholders often lack influence, whereas trans-sectoral actors dominate agenda-setting. The study introduces the concept of public policy agenda filter, illustrating how dominant actors’ perceptions and priorities shape tourism’s inclusion. Despite growing recognition of its economic value, tourism remains viewed as a luxury industry, limiting its policy prominence and integration into national development policies.