Tourism to Kurdistan?

Granted, Iraq is not high on the list of places that most tourists are likely to consider when planning their next vacation.  Nevertheless, the Iraqi region of Kurdistan is making a push to attract tourists, according to this recent USA Today article.  Their argument is that the region of northern Iraq populated by the Kurds has long been more autonomous than the rest of the country and has little of the violence that is plaguing the Arab regions further south.

“It has always been a tourist destination for Iraq and other parts of the Middle East,” said Sal Russo, whose Sacramento, firm helped the Kurdistan Development Corp. create a new television ad campaign for the three-province region in Northern Iraq. “Westerners walk around freely and there is an active nightlife.”

Russo … acknowledges that it “might be close by in miles” to the Iraq war, “it’s a lot further from that in reality.”

That might be little comfort to a family considering a holiday there, but in three TV commercials airing nationally on cable news networks the pitch is clear: Kurdistan isn’t the Iraq of roadside bombs and beheadings. It’s safe, well-protected and home to a democratic government. Coalition troops are welcomed with smiles and flowers.

“You think of bombings and this is peaceful,” Russo said. “You think of desert and this is mountainous. You think of camels and you are more likely to see sheep.”

The tourism push is also controversial for reasons that go beyond the region’s proximity to the Iraqi violence.  Kurdistan is a recognized cultural region with an ethnic group that is distinct from the neighboring Arabs, Persians and Turks.  But the Kurds do not have their own country.  Hence, nations such as Turkey and Iran are not very enthusiastic about a rising Kurdistan, since it could encourage restive Kurdish minorities within their own borders to press for more autonomy.

Despite all this, though, for adventurous travelers on the lookout for a new destination, Kurdistan may soon beckon.

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