Iraqi Tourism authority reports impressive achievements in H1 2023

Shafaq News / The Iraqi Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Antiquities' Tourism Authority announced today, Monday, its accomplishments during the first half of the current year.

In a statement, the authority revealed that it generated revenues of 12 billion Iraqi dinars in the first six months, while also highlighting that there are 966 licensed travel and tourism companies, and approximately 360 unlicensed companies that have been closed by the authority. Moreover, Baghdad and other provinces boast a total of 1,532 hotels, and 2,094 other tourist facilities, including restaurants and halls.

The authority reaffirmed its commitment to the development of tourism in Iraq and disclosed plans to construct a new passenger terminal at Baghdad International Airport. Furthermore, it unveiled a tourism project in the Najaf Sea, quoting its president, Zafer Mahdi, who stated, "The Prime Minister's directives regarding the tourism sector revolved around three major pillars."

He explained that the directives included engaging international companies for tourism marketing and promotion, a strategy commonly employed in most regional countries. He further emphasized the authority's cooperation with the Prime Minister's office in this regard.

The second aspect of the directives involves expediting the transfer of mixed hotels such as the Ishtar Sheraton, Palestine, and Mansour Melia to international companies for management, under the condition that these hotels should be run by global hospitality firms. Mahdi noted that the authority initiated this approach a year and a half ago, with the Ishtar Hotel currently in the process of being handed over for investment and contractual arrangements.

The Prime Minister called for an accelerated implementation of this matter, as discussions covered the infrastructure of tourism services, including airports and land border crossings, necessitating enhancements such as the construction of a new terminal at Baghdad Airport to accommodate a larger number of passengers and aircraft in line with international standards and requirements.

The Tourism Authority is actively working to attract tourists to historical sites by participating in international exhibitions and engaging in meetings with foreign tourism companies to facilitate group travel to and from Iraq. The recent exhibition in Dubai witnessed the signing of contracts between authorized Iraqi tourism companies and their international counterparts, especially from European countries, resulting in the influx of European tourists following the country's political and security stabilization.

The authority also revealed its upcoming participation in the major International Tourism Exhibition in London, where representatives from various countries worldwide will be present to promote tourism and negotiate agreements with foreign tourism companies to receive tourist groups in their respective countries.