LONDON: Babylon, Sinbad, the Garden of Eden – war-scarred Iraq touted its attractions for tourists Tuesday, as it sent a delegation to a major industry fair for the first time in decade. Iraqi tourism officials said that “very few pockets” of the country still remain dangerous, more than six years after the controversial US-led invasion which ousted former dictator Saddam Hussein.
But the complications of travel to and from Baghdad were underlined when the Iraqi officials were delayed reaching the World Travel Market event in London, due to visa problems.
“It is our first participation to a travel fair in Europe for more than a decade,” delegation spokesman Hasan al-Fayadh told AFP by telephone from Amman, where they were waiting for the paperwork to be resolved.
Iraq – where violence has fallen but continues, including a double suicide bombing that killed over 150 last month – is a well-known destination for religious travel for Muslims from near neighbors like Iran, Pakistan, Bahrain or India.
“But our strategy now is to attract people from other parts of the world, like Europe, North America and Asia, after the security situation has improved,” the spokesman later added. – AFP
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