You Think You Have a Difficult Sales Job?

2006-01-17 Posted at 09:28:42 PM

Ahmed alJabouri was named  the head of Iraq's Tourism Board. Talk about a tough sell. Being the cradle of civilization he thinks about the potential of the country. He is not aware of a single foreign tourist visiting Iraq in 2004. He is advising right now for people to stay away. It is too dangerous.

Nevertheless the tourism board has 14 centers around the country from Bashra to Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown. A staff of 2,474 is kept busy checking hotels and restaurants and awarding licenses. Watching the nightly news on ABC, CBS and NBC you would get the impression that there are no hotels or restaurants to check.

 Yahoo Travel  rates several hotels in Bagdad. They are mostly described as elegant, sophisticated, excellent cuisine, beautiful hotel, garden, very nice rooms. One review describes one hotel as elegant and sophisticate with the disclamier "Good if you are ready to have a missile through your room!"

With the perception that we get about Iraq it is hard to think of it as a tourist spot. Nevertheless the Kurdistan Observer September 3, 2005 reports that while there are not international tourist tens of thousands Iraqis in the last few months have gone to the the northern provinces of Kurdistan for relaxation where it has been relatively calm. A popular spot is Lake Dukan, a giant reservoir in the mountains of Suleimaniya province. The high altitude provides relief from the summer heat. Hotel rooms are booked weeks in advance. The Kurdish government has approved 50 new hotels and are printing guide books in Arabic, English and Kurdish.

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