Iraq is finalising studies for “substantial tourism projects” to offer to local and international investors as part of efforts to attract 1mn tourists to archaeological sites across the country, Nasser Ghanem, head of Iraq's Tourism Authority, told Al Eqtesadieh on March 12.

The projects under consideration include integrated tourism resorts with hotels, restaurants and entertainment facilities in various areas of Baghdad, including Radwaniyah, Aqarquf and Madain. They would mark the first significant investment in international tourism since the 1980s during the Saddam Hussein regime before subsequent invasions of Iran and Kuwait. 

Ghanem said the Iraqi government is giving special attention to developing archaeological sites across different Iraqi cities, including Baghdad, Mosul, Babylon and Ur.

"In addition to religious tourism, both Islamic and Christian, the government aims to promote archaeological tourism, especially since Iraq is a first-class archaeological country with sites spread across its various provinces," Ghanem said.

The Iraqi capital needs 30,000 hotel rooms in five and four-star categories to accommodate its target number of tourists. New hotels under construction include Mövenpick, Rixos, and Qalb Al-Alam, with investments exceeding $200mn, according to Ghanem.

The Iraq Development Fund recently launched an initiative called "Hadara" aimed at establishing an investment company in partnership with Iraqi and foreign investors to create tourist resorts in archaeological areas. Mohammed Al-Najjar, advisor to the Iraqi Prime Minister for investment affairs, said Iraq owns about 12,500 UNESCO-registered sites that have not yet been developed.

Tourism in Iraq has grown significantly in recent years, with visitor numbers increasing from approximately 120,000 in 2022 to over 400,000 in 2024. Long-term projections suggest international tourist arrivals could reach nearly 2mn by 2034.

"We are preparing a study to be submitted to the ministry soon, targeting 1mn tourists to archaeological sites within the next five years," Ghanem said.

Earlier in 2024, Iraq's Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities announced it had received thousands of returned archaeological pieces following a push by the central government in Baghdad to retrieve stolen assets.