Tourism picks up despite violence

Sunglasses on top of her head, her mother sitting next to her in a head-to-toe black abaya covering, Nebras Hussein, 24, is sitting in the front seat of a bus in T-shirt and jeans, bound for holiday spots in Syria. Hussein has been to Syria before to visit her aunt who lives in a suburb of the capital, Damascus. But this time, she plans to visit Bludan, a mountainous area known for its beauty and clean air. "We never were allowed to go before Saddam Hussein fell. Now we have the chance," Hussein told IRIN. "Sometimes there is a delay on the road, but we have never had a problem." Even with banditry on the highways, Iraqis want to travel. Tired of the violence and power shortages in their country, those who are working and can afford it are traveling to places they haven't been to in more than 30 years. "People in Iraq were like birds in a cage," said Hajji Kadhem, owner of the al-Warkaa bus company, which takes full buses daily to Syria and Jordan. "Now they can fly to any country they want to near Iraq." They go to northern Iraq, controlled by Kurdish leaders, to Syria, Iran, Jordan or Turkey. Those who have government jobs, estimated to be more than 10,000 in the capital alone, saw huge increases in salary when the interim government took back power from US-led administrators on 28 June. A week-long package tour to Syria, including bed and breakfast at a religious shrine and in the capital, costs about US $300, Kadhem said. With tourism starting to be big business again in Iraq, the country's tourism board is appealing to international aid agencies for help with training and management, Ahmed al-Jabouri, chairman of the tourism board, told IRIN. "We want training for our hotel workers, in the same way they send help to fix the electricity or water," al-Jabouri said. "We need help from places like the World Bank to build facilities at tourist spots in Iraq." Iraq's nicest rest spots are currently victims of the unsettled situation, al-Jabouri said. Hamriyah Lake, near Fallujah, has tourism facilities built by the French, for example, he said. Now, the area is cordoned off by Coalition troops as part of the battle between them and insurgents based in Fallujah. In Hilla, home of ancient Babylon, Polish troops and checkpoints discourage the casual tourist. "Tourism has stopped to some extent in Iraq," al-Jabouri said. "We have asked the troops to leave these places, but we'll see what happens." At the same time, Iran's tourism board recently announced that more than 4 million Iraqis had visited Iranian religious sites since the fall of the former regime. Al-Jabouri said he had no figures on how many Iranians have come to Iraq, although pilgrims often visit holy shrines in the south. Iraqi officials recently temporarily closed a popular border crossing point near the Imam Ali shrine in Najaf, south of Baghdad, saying the site needed repairs following weeks of fighting between Mehdi army forces loyal to anti-US cleric Moqtada Sadr and US troops. Given some restrictions at home, many are taking bus trips to Jordan and Syria. More than 150 people per day go on the buses, which cost about $30 for a return ticket, Kadhem said. Some of those people are businessmen, Mazin Jassem, 24, told IRIN. He said he will go to Syria to buy clothing for his wedding shops. On the way, he will visit the shrine of Zainab, the daughter of the Muslim prophet, Mohammed. "I have enough money, so I can travel," Jassem said. "I know other people are struggling, but this is a big chance for me." His travelling partner Ahmed Rasheed, 36, told IRIN he would visit various tourist spots, but he also wanted to find a new job in Syria. He has saved money with the idea that he could work in Syria doing menial jobs as he tried to find an engineering contract. "I want to start my own business in Jordan, but I'll go to Syria first," Rasheed said, settling in for the 12-hour trip ahead with a newspaper and a fruit drink handed down the aisle to passengers. Almost 85 percent of the passengers on the buses were tourists during the summer months, Kadhem said. Now families are getting their children back to school, but people still want to take holidays, he said. "We want to know about the outside world. We want to meet foreigners," Kadhem said. "We didn't get to do any of that for more than 30 years." While the buses may be economical, Iraq's national airline is expected to gain passengers as it starts flying regularly, officials say. The company's only jet flew from Amman, Jordan to Baghdad a few weeks before flying on to Damascus. It wasn't clear if the 737 had any passengers. Aircraft sit on tarmac around the region, grounded by more than 12 years of international sanctions against Iraq. Buses and sports utility vehicles (SUVs) became the travel vehicles of choice in recent years. Iraqi Airways has not flown to Damascus since 1980, when the two countries cut ties. Officials also have plans to fly to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).