Is Iraq the next holiday hotspot?

BBC News Magazine article, 11Nov09. After more than six years of conflict Iraq seems an unlikely place for a holiday. But could its status as the birthplace of civilization see tourists flocking? For most travellers it will, undoubtedly, be years before Iraq becomes a destination of choice. But as the country stabilises its advocates believe its potential is beginning to emerge.

S. IRAQ - THE ZIGGURAT OF UR

FOX NEWS, 14Nov09: U.S. Soldiers Among First to Tour Ancient Iraqi Temple. The Ziggurat of Ur has stood for 4,000 years in the desert near Nasiriyah in southeastern Iraq, but this unique historical site had been almost completely off limits to visitors under Saddam Hussein. All that has changed since the old regime was overthrown in 2003, and now, U.S. soldiers are some of the site's most receptive visitors.

IRAQ OPEN FOR BUSINESS

NY Times article (21Oct09): Hundreds of Iraqi officials — said to be the largest delegation from Iraq ever to visit the United States — gathered in a hotel near Capitol Hill on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss neither security nor American troop levels. Rather they came to promote something that was once, and might still be, more of a hope than a reality: investment.

IRAQI FEAR OF IRANIAN INFLUENCE

Times Online article. "In recent years Najaf regained its pre-Saddam position as a religious capital, a cross between Jerusalem and the Vatican for all Shia Muslims. Last year, the city attracted 1.5 million Iranian pilgrims, a figure that is expected to double with the opening of direct air links. Aircraft will connect Najaf to five cities in Iran twice a day, the first such link since the Iranian Revolution in 1979." Najaf officials believe as many as 5 million Iranian pilgrims visit each year. Concern is the majority are controlled by monopoly with ties to the Iranian national government.

BABYLON LYING IN RUINS

Washington Post Article, 29 July 09. A very misrepresentative article claiming the US miltary: "They destroyed the whole country," Hamzah, the head of the Babylon museum, said of U.S. forces in Iraq. "So what are a few old bricks and mud walls in comparison?" Mr Hamzah says he was misquoted. For destination managers, bad press should be addressed immediately.

UNESCO FINAL RPT ON BABYLON DAMAGE

REPORT. “In view of Babylon’s historical and archaeological significance, recent allegations of damage to the site during its military use were particularly serious,” explains Mohamed Djelid, director of UNESCO’s Office for Iraq. “The report is key because it establishes a description of damages on which there is international agreement. Without pointing fingers, we now have a clear picture of the situation. It provides the starting-point for the major challenge of restoration and conservation.”

HOTEL WORKERS BANKING ON WESTERN TOURISTS

Article in Stars & Stripes, 07.05.09. "HILLAH, Iraq — More than 100 Iraqi tourism workers will go back to work when U.S. forces leave their base in the city of Hillah later this year. The 66-room hotel has been a U.S. center since 2003. These days it’s known as the Regional U.S. Embassy Office in Al-Hillah and serves as headquarters for the Babil PRT and the 172nd Infantry Brigade’s Task Force 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment."

The REO Hillah is where I'll be stationed until December.