Vacation in sunny Baghdad? Iraq looks for tourism money

BAGHDAD — Someone had fun tinkering with the airline board at the old, disused terminal at Baghdad International Airport. It advertises a "special flight” on Japan Airlines from Basra to Sydney, Australia, while a flight from Baghdad to Mexico City is "delayed.”

In reality, Iraq has been a no-go zone for most civilian aircraft for almost two decades. Yet, now that insurgent attacks and sectarian bloodshed have ebbed over the past year, Iraq's government is beginning to promote tourism. But it'll be tough; even if officials can lure the adventuresome, Iraq's tourism facilities are shabby.

Iraq targets pilgrims

The opening of an airport Sunday in the southern city of Najaf is expected to help boost the number of religious pilgrims, mostly Iranians, visiting Shiite shrines to 1 million this year.

Iraq is thinking about more than pilgrims, though. Last week, officials displayed tourism posters and said they are intent on attracting visitors to Iraq's fabled archaeological sites, many of them looted and damaged in fighting. But they offered few specifics about how they would do that.

War's roughed up area

Hundreds of hotels in the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala are usually packed, but tourism officials say the buildings badly need upgrading.

War has reduced places like Babylon, where the Hanging Gardens were located, to decrepit, virtually inaccessible outposts of ancient culture.