Al-Monitor | Maziar Motamedi: Last month, Iran�s education minister�said he intends�to create�a�two-week "winter holiday"�before the new Iranian school year starts this fall. In exchange, students will start their academic year two weeks earlier. The goal is to create a new holiday period that could boost local tourism at a time of year when business is usually slow.


If implemented, the move will particularly benefit Iran's southern provinces, as families will be incentivized to visit the�warmer climates in winter rather than make later trips to the more popular Caspian Sea provinces in the north. It would also bring a much-needed boost to employment and production in the south.

However, the scheme is but a small portion of what needs to be done to address challenges created by the country's calendar.�The re-imposition of tough US sanctions following President Donald Trump�s�withdrawal from the nuclear deal has provided an added and strong incentive to boost efficiency in the economy, including steps to more closely align Iran with international work-week norms.

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