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Iraq
Tourists and investors to Iraq? Why not, say Kurds
2007-08-08
ARBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - The Ministry of Tourism has 417 employees and big plans: "We need three or four times as many hotels as we have now," says Nimrud Youkhana, the minister, "and we need to get more airlines to fly here."

Tourism in Iraq? More hotels in a country whose name evokes images of truck bombs and mayhem, kidnappings and beheaded foreigners?

This is what an advertising campaign in the United States called The Other Iraq, the three northern provinces that blossomed into a quasi-independent state in the 16 years since the U.S. placed a protective umbrella -- the 'no-fly zone' -- over the region to stop a genocidal anti-Kurdish campaign waged by Saddam Hussein.
Posted by:Floling Fleregum9749

#3  bigjim-ky, that apparently means Iraqi (or Arab) non-Kurdish travellers. Anyone else, you're fine.
Posted by: twobyfour   2007-08-08 23:30  

#2  Travelers from outside the region are not allowed to pass unless a Kurdish resident meets them in person and "guarantees" their stay.

That's going to put a bit of a pinch on tourism, isn't it?
Posted by: bigjim-ky   2007-08-08 18:20  

#1  Investment discussions are going on in southeastern Iraq as well:

LONDON (Dow Jones)--Oil giants Total SA (TOT) and Chevron Corp. (CVX) have signed a services agreement that would lead to the two jointly exploring and developing hydrocarbons from one of Iraq's biggest oil fields once the country gets an oil law in place and security on the ground improves {this could take a while!} , people familiar with the deal say.
The two companies signed an agreement last year and are currently assessing above-ground conditions around Majnoon, Iraq's fourth biggest oil field, which sits near the border with Iran, and at least one other field in the south of Iraq, to see what development work is required, the people told Dow Jones Newswires.
Posted by: Glenmore   2007-08-08 16:13  

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