So why isn’t the Kurdistan Region a tourist magnet?
The answer lies in geography and history: although it has no resemblance to the rest of war-torn Iraq, this enclave of some 5 million Kurds reluctantly remains attached to the rest of predominantly Arab Iraq.
Then there is Kurdistan’s own war with the Islamic State, though a visitor to the Kurdish capital of Erbil or any of Kurdistan’s larger cities would never guess there is a war on, ignited nearly two years ago when ISIS attacked the Kurds.
“Before, when we were visiting other countries and telling them about Kurdistan and how secure it is, they would not believe us,” Jabbar complained. “We discovered that this strategy is not effective anymore.”
In the minds of most foreigners Kurdistan becomes lumped together with the rest of Iraq. That is unfortunate, because while the Iraqi capital of Baghdad witnesses scenes of carnage with car bombs and suicide attacks nearly every week, Erbil experienced a single suicide car bomb in 2014 and one last year.
In Baghdad, when a 12-year-old curfew was lifted last year, people danced in the streets. In Erbil – or any of Kurdistan’s cities – there was never a long curfew, even when the rest of Iraq was drowning in bloodbaths from sectarian killings.
Nevertheless, official US and European travel advisories are issued for all of Iraq, without making any distinction for Kurdistan, which in reality is a world away from Baghdad.
As the Peshmerga keep watch on the various fronts, backed by the US-led coalition that has helped stop any ISIS advance into Kurdish cities, Kurds and foreigners living here go about their business, with the war probably the last worry on their minds.
Revelers celebrate last Christmas at a show inside the Family Mall. Photo: Farzin Hassan.(Rudaw).
Angry Birds in Kurdistan.
On weekends, Erbil malls remain packed with shoppers. At the popular Family Mall, visitors to the food court are spoilt for choice over what to eat: Pizza Hut, KFC, Hardees and Lebanese fast food franchise B2B are just a fraction of the taste temptations.
On the opposite end of the food court, kids tumble and toss in the indoor play area, slide a coin into a toy zebra or horse for a ride around the play area or lust at a nearby chocolate fountain that promises instant heaven.
The Angry Birds Movie’s world premiere kicked off at the mall’s plush Empire Cinema on Tuesday, even ahead of limited screenings in the US and France.
Movie lovers settle into the plush seats of the Empire Cinema in Erbil for the world premiere of The Angry Birds Movie. Photo: Farzin Hassan (Rudaw).
Last month, London’s Globe Theatre staged a performance of Hamlet in Erbil, as part of the British Council’s program of marking the fourth centenary of Shakespeare’s death.
For Jeremy Elliot Olive, an American born in Texas who has lived in Erbil for eight years, the war with ISIS and a financial crisis that Kurdistan is trying to claw its way out of, were never worries large enough to think of leaving.
“We maintained the faith that the Peshmerga would secure the borders and keep Kurdistan safe enough that we could raise our child here,” said Olive, who has an 18-month boy.
“When I first arrived, it was difficult to find things I wanted, but now the sky is the limit,” he told Rudaw. “There are so many great local and international restaurants,” he said, rattling off a long list of his favorite Indian, Chinese, European and local restaurants and recommending “great burgers and hot wings” at his favorite Sports Bar and Restaurant.
At any one of the three French-owned Carrefour hypermarkets or the many Holland Bazaar supermarkets scattered around Erbil’s more affluent neighborhoods, shoppers can easily forget where they are, as they pick through mindless varieties of Swiss chocolates, American cookies or Norwegian smoked salmon.
At the Erbil Antiques Museum in the capital’s downtown, American Mary Jilek said she felt so safe in Kurdistan that she was visiting for a second time.
“I know there are many challenges in the region but I do not believe it should stop people from visiting Kurdistan because I quite feel safe here,” the 31-year-old told Rudaw English.
Some who have been here have marveled at sites like the ancient Erbil Citadel, around which the rest of the capital revolves. Two years ago next month, the Citadel made the UNESCO World Heritage List as the world’s oldest continuously inhabited city, its history going back a stunning 6,000 years.
The Citadel on the mound sits at the heart of Erbil. Photo: Farzin Hassan (Rudaw).
Hotels hard hit
“In 2013 we nearly had 38,000 tourists and among those 7,000 were foreigners, but with the arrival of ISIS the number fell to 17,000 tourists and among those 2,750 were foreigners,” said Ranan Khasraw Tawfiq, site manager and chief architect at the Citadel, complaining that many renovation projects for the citadel were delayed because of Kurdistan’s severe cash crunch.
Shero Azadeen Mehedeen, who sells traditional Kurdish clothing and handmade shoes and bags from a shop outside the Citadel, complained about a decline in business since the tourist numbers began to drop.
“Before, I had 6-7 costumers per day but now I get one and sometimes none,” he said, bemoaning that unless things get better if he would have to follow in the footsteps of other shopkeeper and close down the store.
Hotels also have been hard hit, said Hersh Ahmed Kareem, manager of the Kurdistan Hotels and Restaurants Association.
While Erbil’s lavish Divan and the five-star Rotana continue to tempt guests with all the luxuries of first-class travel, many other hotels have been less fortunate.
“Hotels and restaurants are shutting down because there are no tourists,” said Kareem, explaining that tourism is down by some 80 percent; some 120 hotels and eateries were forced to close.
A shopkeeper sells traditional caps at one of Erbil’s old souks. AFP Photo
But efforts are underway to achieve a turnaround in tourist numbers.
Last March, Kurdish Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani kicked off a tourism conference in Erbil, saying that participation by hundreds of foreign companies from more than two dozen countries amid an economic crisis in Kurdistan “is a great support” to both Kurdish tourism and people.
Barzani explained that "$6 billion have been invested in the tourism sector in Kurdistan, and if there had been no budget cut by Baghdad that brought about the economic crisis, we would further increase the volume of financial investment."
Nadir Hasan, head of the tourism media office, revealed that, “We are working on hosting up to 7 million tourists by 2025.”
With Kurdish authorities worried about ISIS infiltrators slipping into Kurdistan, one reason for the drop in tourist numbers is tighter border security. That means tourists from other parts of Iraq or from neighboring countries cannot get in as easily as before.
But Diyar Mustafa Ismael, head of administration at the Erbil International Hotel, said, “We believe the situation is slowly improving and there is a movement in the tourism sector again.” But he warned that the sector needs about two years to recover.
Families in Erbil enjoy a cool outing in one of the Kurdish capital’s several parks. Photo: Farzin Hassan (Rudaw).
Meanwhile, residents of Kurdistan go about their business.
Last weekend, just before sunset amid the rolling lawns and flower gardens of the sprawling Sami Abdul Rahman Park in Erbil, families were spreading out pots, pans and crates of soft drinks for picnics, as deeper into the woods young lovers remained tucked away, sitting on benches or walking along, hand-in-hand.
At the park’s winding running path, men in shorts ran side-by-side with women in jogging outfits, some wearing headscarves, others without.
Just outside the track, in front of a poster advertising the five kilometer Erbil Marathon this month, three pretty girls posed for a selfie, one dressed in tight black spandex pants and neon-yellow top, another in jeans and with flowing hair down below her waist and a third dressed in a loose track suit and headscarf.
Shopkeepers busily serve customers during the last Valentine’s Day. Photo: Farzin Hassan (Rudaw).
