For the first time in a long time, the leaders in Iran seem to have deep-sixed the old "Great Satan" rhetoric about America for a more welcoming approach.

In fact, a conciliatory Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, earlier this month on CNN, called for "the exchange of professors, writers, scholars, artists, journalists and tourists."

Did he say tourists?

He did indeed. And it's not the first signal that the country that made "Death to America" a household phrase has decided to reopen its considerable treasures to Americans.

Over the past 18 months, the Islamic nation that once held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days quietly has eased visa restrictions for U.S. travelers who want to visit on more peaceful terms.

"When people think of Iran, they think of terrorism and danger. But that's not the case" anymore, says Janet Moore, owner of tour operator Distant Horizons in Long Beach, Calif.

Since May, Distant Horizons and another U.S. tour company, Geographic Expeditions, have taken advantage of the changing tide in Tehran to begin offering the first organized tours to the country since the 1979 Islamic revolution (in 1993, Geographic, then known as InnerAsia, announced plans for Iran that fell apart after visa problems).

And they've been met with open arms. "Everybody from the local people to the officials seemed genuinely glad that we were there," says Ann Aylwin of Geographic, which took its first group in September.

Don't be surprised, Aylwin says. Iranians have long made it clear their beef is with the U.S. government and its policies more than with its people.

"Government to government, there's still tension," she says. "But people to people, the Iranians are very welcoming."

The prospect of tourism to Iran has industry veterans excited. Before the revolution, it was "one of the world's most popular destinations," says Nigel Osborne, president of Insight International, a major tour company based in Boston that offers trips to 50 countries.

Known in ancient times as Persia, Iran is home to one of the world's first great cultures and is filled with ruins that rival those of Greece in scope and beauty. The colorful, tiled 17th century mosques of Isfahan are considered among the world's most alluring.

"It's as fascinating a part of the world as you're going to find," says Lane Nevares of New York-based tour operator Absolute Asia.

Nevares, who just returned from a scouting trip in Iran, says the country's spectacular ancient ruinsare almost unvisited. "Imagine going to the Acropolis in Athens and basically having it to yourself," he says. "It's that sparse."

Absolute Asia plans to offer its first Iran trips in April. In the wake of Khatami's words, others are expected to follow soon. Industry veterans say there's strong pent-up demand for what many see as one of the last great cultures that has been closed to outsiders.

"I've never seen such interest in anyplace else," says Aylwin of Geographic, where several 16-person tours for spring are already sold out.

Not everyone is taking Khatami's words at face value, however. While President Clinton said Thursday that he hoped the United States and Iran would soon be able to enjoy "good relations," the U.S. State Department hasn't budged from its 20-year position that Iran isn't safe to visit.

A State spokesman wouldn't comment on the record about Khatami's recent overture but refers to a sternly worded State Department advisory issued in July. It warns "all U.S. citizens against travel to Iran, which remains dangerous because of the generally anti-American atmosphere."

The advisory also notes that "U.S. citizens traveling to Iran have been detained without charge, arrested and harassed by Iranian authorities."

Moore and others who've been to Iran recently say that the warning is too strong and that the State Department, which hasn't maintained an embassy in Iran since the revolution, may be out of touch with the changing situation.

Moore notes major hotels recently took down the brass "Death to America" signs once common in lobbies. And customs officials at the Tehran airport now hardly pause when they see an American passport.

"It's a safe destination," Nevares says. "We don't have any qualms about sending Americans there."

Still, the State Department's concerns have kept many of the larger tour companies from jumping back into Iran. Robin Tauck, co-president of upscale Tauck Tours, says she considers it "far too volatile."

Osborne of Insight says he's "taking a wait-and-see attitude" while the detente between the two countries plays out.

He says he doesn't feel comfortable sending tours to Iran until the two countries re-establish diplomatic ties. He also needs to be convinced that Iran has adequate security.

Still, tourism could build quickly in the next few years if diplomatic relations warm. Osborne notes that it took about 18 months after the Berlin Wall came down for tourism to the former Eastern bloc countries to take off. Now it's growing at double-digit levels.

"There's always a lag," he says. "People are watching what's going on, what (Khatami) is saying. As soon as the starting pistol goes off . . ."

One reason tourism could grow quickly is that, unlike many off-the-beaten-path destinations, Iran actually has pretty good accommodations and facilities for vacationers.

Well-known companies like Hyatt, Hilton and Sheraton all built properties in the country during the shah's reign in the '70s, and, despite name changes, they're recently renovated and in good shape, Aylwin says.

"It's always a pleasant surprise for folks when they get there," she says, noting that the country has modern roads and good restaurants with great food.

The hotels, she adds, are "a whole lot better than the guest houses and barracks that we stay in in Tibet or along the Silk Road of China."

Nevares says that Tehran, much like a city preparing for the Olympics, got a major spruce-up for the Islamic Conference in December. "It's cleaner than New York."

By Gene Sloan, USA TODAY

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