Iraq has been off the radar as a tourist destination for years, with the brutal regime of Saddam Hussein, the subsequent war and insurgency making it a no-go area.
But there are hopes that in trying to rebuild its shattered economy, the country could pave the way for tourism to a destination that is as rich in culture and history as it is in oil. While central and southern Iraq, particularly Baghdad, are unlikely to appear on the holidaymaker's map in the near future, Iraqi Kurdistan in the north is taking steps towards opening up further to leisure and business travellers.
The capital, Erbil, already serves as a gateway to the region. Foreign companies are moving in and the city's air traffic is rapidly increasing. Last month, the UAE budget carrier flydubai started a service to the city, while Germany's Lufthansa resumed flights in April after a 20-year break. In June, the Abu Dhabi carrier Etihad Airways started flying there. To increase development in the region, the Kurdistan investment board was established in 2006 with the aim of attracting investment from abroad and the tourism sector was named as a priority.
"Tourism can be a main part of Kurdistan's economic development," says Hayder Mustafa Saaid, a director general at the Kurdistan regional government's investment board. So far 259 licences have been issued for projects across all sectors in the region, including tourism developments, with foreign investment exceeding US$3.6 billion (Dh13.22bn). Now this policy is starting to pay off. A new airport is expected to open this year in Erbil, which is likely to attract more airlines, and several hotels are being built, including a luxury block managed by the Abu Dhabi-based Rotana Hotels group.
Shopping malls are also under construction to cater for the expected influx of business as commercial activity increases. Brands including the French supermarket chain Carrefour are also planning to set up shop in the city. Banking and financial services, construction, energy and utilities are the leading growth sectors in Kurdistan. Once the business community moves in, the investment board is hoping international tourism will follow.
"Kurdistan has many natural as well as ethnic and cultural attractions," says Mr Saaid. "There are many places that people would be interested to visit." Already there is a steady flow of tourist traffic from Turkey, Iran and southern Iraq. Erbil attracted 791,000 tourists, including visitors from within Iraq, last year, the city's tourism department says. The aim is to increase that to about 1.5 million tourists a year over the next four years or so.
Dler Osmana at the Erbil tourism department highlights the Citadel as the city's major tourist attraction. "It's the oldest continuously inhabited settlement anywhere in the world," Mr Osmana says, referring to the site, which is thousands of years old. There are ambitions for the Citadel to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Erbil is working on its preservation and restoration, planning to invest $13 million in the project over the next three years.
Outside the city, there are areas of outstanding natural beauty to be found. But for now, the major growth is expected to be in business travel to Erbil. Malia Group, a Lebanese company, is developing the 201-room Rotana hotel, which is expected to open next month. "We found out that the investment is at the right time and the right place," says Thomas Touma, the general manager of the Erbil Rotana hotel.
"We studied all aspects of security issues and market development and we found that the time is very suitable to come to Erbil." Divan Hotels, a Turkish luxury hospitality company, plans to open a hotel nearby next year. "When you come in and you pioneer a market you have a competitive advantage," says Mr Touma. "We have been approached by a lot of investors wanting to bring new hotels up in other major cities in Kurdistan, including Sulaimaniya."
But he adds there is some way to go before international tourism can take off in the region. Few believe the process will be an easy one. "For tourism, it's still early," Mr Touma says. "To bring tourists to a destination is not an easy task. It's very lengthy and it requires a lot of infrastructure. The area has great potential for tourism but the infrastructure for tourism is lacking." In the short term, he expects business tourism to be the main driver.
"It's very common that business comes at the first stage in order to build up this infrastructure," says Mr Touma. "You need to bring in companies, consultants, project managers to develop this country. "This is exactly what is happening today. That's why we expect a huge increase in visitors from the business market, in order to bring this country to a level where it can attract tourism. They can't put this place on the tourism map yet."
Mr Saaid agrees that building good-quality visitor accommodation has become a priority. "There is a need for hotels, especially the international standard and the five-star ones," he says. Meanwhile, central and southern Iraq face a steeper struggle. A local tour operator in Baghdad says religious tourism is "working well" but attracting tourists to the area's historical sites is difficult, despite the country's rich archaeological heritage.
What are widely believed to be the Hanging Gardens of Babylon are located near Baghdad and one UK-based company, Hinterland Travel, has resumed tours to "Mesopotamia" (a historical term largely corresponding to Iraq) after a six-year break. These trips take in visits to ancient sites and mosques across the country. But many are still not convinced. David Butler is a British helicopter pilot who lives in Dubai. Seeking new and interesting places off the beaten track to visit, he was happy to travel to Erbil as a tourist last month.
But Mr Butler says he would not venture into Baghdad. "Definitely not at the moment," he says. "It's an extremely dangerous place for independent travellers." rbundhun@thenational.ae
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Planes grounded by coronavirus
British Airways: Cancels all direct flights to and from mainland China
Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific: Cutting capacity to/from mainland China by 50 per cent from Jan. 30
Chicago-based United Airlines: Reducing flights to Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong
Ai Seoul: Suspended all flights to China
Finnair: Suspending flights to Nanjing and Beijing Daxing until the end of March
Indonesia's Lion Air: Suspending all flights to China from February
South Korea's Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air and Jin Air: Suspend all flights
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
WHEN TO GO:
September to November or March to May; this is when visitors are most likely to see what they’ve come for.
WHERE TO STAY:
Meghauli Serai, A Taj Safari - Chitwan National Park resort (tajhotels.com) is a one-hour drive from Bharatpur Airport with stays costing from Dh1,396 per night, including taxes and breakfast. Return airport transfers cost from Dh661.
HOW TO GET THERE:
Etihad Airways regularly flies from Abu Dhabi to Kathmandu from around Dh1,500 per person return, including taxes. Buddha Air (buddhaair.com) and Yeti Airlines (yetiairlines.com) fly from Kathmandu to Bharatpur several times a day from about Dh660 return and the flight takes just 20 minutes. Driving is possible but the roads are hilly which means it will take you five or six hours to travel 148 kilometres.
How to come clean about financial infidelity
- Be honest and transparent: It is always better to own up than be found out. Tell your partner everything they want to know. Show remorse. Inform them of the extent of the situation so they know what they are dealing with.
- Work on yourself: Be honest with yourself and your partner and figure out why you did it. Don’t be ashamed to ask for professional help.
- Give it time: Like any breach of trust, it requires time to rebuild. So be consistent, communicate often and be patient with your partner and yourself.
- Discuss your financial situation regularly: Ensure your spouse is involved in financial matters and decisions. Your ability to consistently follow through with what you say you are going to do when it comes to money can make all the difference in your partner’s willingness to trust you again.
- Work on a plan to resolve the problem together: If there is a lot of debt, for example, create a budget and financial plan together and ensure your partner is fully informed, involved and supported.
Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Squad for first two ODIs
Kohli (c), Rohit, Dhawan, Rayudu, Pandey, Dhoni (wk), Pant, Jadeja, Chahal, Kuldeep, Khaleel, Shami, Thakur, Rahul.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The biog
Favourite Quote: “Real victories are those that protect human life, not those that result from its destruction emerge from its ashes,” by The late king Hussain of Jordan.
Favourite Hobby: Writing and cooking
Favourite Book: The Prophet by Gibran Khalil Gibran
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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Key fixtures from January 5-7
Watford v Bristol City
Liverpool v Everton
Brighton v Crystal Palace
Bournemouth v AFC Fylde or Wigan
Coventry v Stoke City
Nottingham Forest v Arsenal
Manchester United v Derby
Forest Green or Exeter v West Brom
Tottenham v AFC Wimbledon
Fleetwood or Hereford v Leicester City
Manchester City v Burnley
Shrewsbury v West Ham United
Wolves v Swansea City
Newcastle United v Luton Town
Fulham v Southampton
Norwich City v Chelsea
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Champion%20v%20Champion%20(PFL%20v%20Bellator)
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Company%20profile
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German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
