|
Iraqi Kurdistan : A Tourist Destination?
17.8.2006
By Brian Padden |
|
|
|
Erbil, Kurdistan
(Iraq), 17 August 2006, --The Kurdish region of
northern Iraq has launched an international
advertising campaign called "The Other Iraq." The
campaign tries to differentiate relatively safe
Kurdistan from the rest of the country, where
insurgent bombings and sectarian violence are daily
occurrences. The purpose of the ads: to generate
business investment - and tourism. Iraqi Kurdistan
has real tourism potential.
A promotional advertisement from the Kurdistan
Development Corporation, which recently ran on U.S.
television says:
"Have you seen the other Iraq? It's spectacular.
It's joyful. It has an experienced security force.
Fewer than 200 coalition troops are stationed here.
Arabs, Kurds and Westerners all vacation together.
Welcome to Iraqi Kurdistan."
The message is simple, if somewhat unexpected:
Northern Iraq is a safe and a beautiful place to
visit. While Westerners may not be vacationing in
Kurdistan just yet - Iraqis are.
At the Gali Ali Beg waterfall, Iraqis such as Dahud
Lukman come from all over the country to enjoy the
cool waters and the sense of security.
"I like this place. It's very nice," Lukman says.
"And the tense situation back home also helped us
decide to come here."
Kurdistan is a land of beautiful mountains, rivers
and waterfalls. It is also, for the most part, a
safe haven from the violence of southern Iraq. Since
the fall of Saddam Hussein, the region is being
rediscovered, and is enjoying a boom in tourism.
Mahadi Ramadan owns a campground near a place called
Miracle Spring.
"Since last year many more people have come here and
they stay for a long time. They like this safe
environment," Ramadan says.
For now, most of the tourist sites cater to local,
mostly low-income visitors. But Douglas Layton says
that will change.
Layton is an American who has worked on development
projects in Kurdistan for the last 15 years. He is
currently director of the Kurdistan Development
Corporation. And he is confident that with time and
investment, Kurdistan will become a major
international tourist destination.
"We have the capability here eventually to develop
resort areas where there is snow skiing, for
example," he says. "Now, that doesn't happen to
exist in most of the Middle East. Water rafting. All
kinds of water sports. This is the land of water."
Layton says development - and peace - will be
required before the region reaches its full
potential. But for anyone willing to invest in
Kurdistan's tourist industry, he maintains, this
could be the land of opportunity.
voanews com
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the content of news
information on this page
|
® 