October 19, 2006
It's not for the casual traveler. But if you are up
for an adventure in a place that boasts peace,
democracy and an experienced security force, a
California marketing firm has a suggestion:
Kurdistan.
"It has always been a tourist destination for Iraq
and other parts of the Middle East," said Sal Russo,
whose Sacramento, Calif., firm helped the Kurdistan
Development Corp. create a new television ad
campaign for the three-province region in Northern
Iraq. "Westerners walk around freely and there is an
active nightlife."
Russo, whose firm handles largely Republican
campaign clients, acknowledges that it "might be
close by in miles" to the Iraq war, "it's a lot
further from that in reality."
That might be little comfort to a family considering
a holiday there, but in three TV commercials airing
nationally on cable news networks the pitch is
clear: Kurdistan isn't the Iraq of roadside bombs
and beheadings. It's safe, well-protected and home
to a democratic government. Coalition troops are
welcomed with smiles and flowers.
"You think of bombings and this is peaceful," Russo
said. "You think of desert and this is mountainous.
You think of camels and you are more likely to see
sheep."
There are about 70 flights a week to the region,
some of which do require travel through the
dangerous Baghdad International Airport.
Russo's ads show video of serene countrysides,
smiling Kurds -- some waving American flags -- and
bustling businesses. Though the campaign is largely
based on the television ads, organizers have also
launched outreach efforts in U.S. communities with
large numbers of Iraqi immigrants, including
Nashville, Tenn.
The location and political history of the region --
the Kurds have previously sought independence from
Iraq -- make some marketing experts skeptical about
the real intentions of the campaign.
Jonathan Frenzen, who teaches marketing at the
University of Chicago, said the campaign looks to
him to be more of an effort to distance Kurdistan
from the rest of Iraq than to immediately lure
tourists and investors.
"The ads are helping Kurdistan separate itself from
the rest of Iraq," Frenzen said. "It's a clever way
to go about it."
Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, chairwoman of the Kurdistan
Development Corp., which is working with the
Kurdistan Regional Government to fund the project,
said the point of the ads is to grow the local
economy. Tourism efforts that were impossible under
Saddam Hussein's regime could be very popular and
lucrative today, she said.
"Historically (tourism) has been one of our
strengths," Rahman said. "For the adventure tourist
there is rock climbing and river rafting. Great
prophets are buried there. There are Roman ruins."
Nabaz Khoshnaw, who was born in Kurdistan and now
lives in Nashville, said he remembers well the days
when the region was bustling with tourists looking
for a mountain vacation.
"The mountains looks more like America," Khoshnaw
said.
Khoshnaw made his first trip back to Kurdistan in
2004 said the Kurds had immediately started to
rebuild resort villages destroyed by Hussein's
regime.
Rahman said the effort has so far been successful.
"Right now we are very happy with the results we
have," Rahman said. "We have many people visiting
the...web site. We get a lot of e-mails from people
saying they were very moved by the thank you ad, and
others saying they didn't know this place existed.
We have no reason to think that this campaign is not
working, quite the opposite." |
Kurdistan (Sulaimaiyah city)
All Photos: eKurd.net |
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