Iranian traveling agency in Sweden : Opportunities and challenges

Abstract: This is a multiple case study that offers information concerning Iranian traveling agencies in Sweden.   The focus is on three traveling agencies located in Stockholm and Gothenburg. They are currently 12000 Iranians living in Sweden, most of these people travel to Iran regularly. There are also Swedish travelers that visit Iran, some of these travelers are tourist and some visit Iran for other purposes. Iran and Sweden have different background and cultures; the focus of this study is to identify the strategies that must be used by an Iranian investor in order to open a traveling agency in Sweden. How to handle different business situation in Sweden and how to adapt to the Swedish culture are some of the factors of this study. They are number of theories that have been used to generate more information concerning the topic of the study. Four interviews were conducted with the managers of three Iranian traveling agencies in Sweden to gather primary data. It was noticed that the country has a very transparent business regulations system, but it is hard to adapt to. Cultural differences can also be an obstacle at the beginning of the business and must be solved. More detail of the results is provided in the analysis and conclusion chapter. Finally the study provided number of managerial recommendations and suggestions for further research.