The Western tourists going to Iraq for vacation

Iraq is home to ancient ruins of Babylon , Mesopotamian Marshes and the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan .

Multiple governments advise against travel to Iraq for security reasons.

Iraq ’s minister for culture, tourism and antiquities assuring the travel industry that the country is safe.

Iraq has set a target of welcoming visitors by 2030 .

Baghdad resident Ali Al Makhzomy founded Bil Weekend in 2016 to revive cultural tourism to heritage sites.

Janet Newenham , a content creator and entrepreneur from Cork , Ireland , now runs women-only tours there through her company Janet ’s Journeys.

The main challenge faced by the emerging tourist industry is the country's negative image.

In 2024 , nearly 21.3 million pilgrims made their way to the Imam Hussain and Al-Abbas shrines in Karbala .

Arba’een is one of the largest annual gatherings of people in the world, which commemorates the end of a 40-day mourning period for the death of Hussain ibn Ali (a grandson of the Prophet Mohammed ) in 680 CE.

Nowhere else in Iraq is tourism surging so fast as in Kurdistan .