Kurdistan Adventures

Brussels, 15 March 2013 – Ararat News (ANP) – Ali Zalme from the Kurdish city of Halabja witnessed the tragic events on 16 March 1988, when 5,000 Kurds lost their life and more than 7,000 people were injured or suffered long-term illness from the poisonous gas attack of Saddam Hussein’s regime.

Lorin Sarkissian: Could you briefly present yourself ?

Ali Zalme: I was born on 11 March 1972 in Khormal-Hawraman, town of Halabja, city of Sulaymania in Southern Kurdistan. My mother died when I was only 5 years old and my father re-married. At that time my family consisted of five brothers and six sisters, but unfortunately during the mass exodus in April 1991, I lost one of my brothers and later, during the American invasion in Iraq, I lost another young brother who was only 19 years old.

I’ve lived and I was raised in Halabja and the surrounding areas until 15 March 1988. Like everyone else during these times, we were forced to move a lot and live in nearby towns until the uprising in March 1991, when people freely returned to the city of Halabja.

In 1999 I left Kurdistan and after 6 month of very tiring and long journey I finally stalled in the United Kingdom. My wife and little son joined me after 2 years in exile. I am currently living in Bristol, UK with my wife and our two lovely children.

Lorin Sarkissian:  You have witnessed the Halabja poisonous gas attack. Can you describe the days of 15 and 16 March 1988? How did the attack happen and what was the context of the events preceding the attack? 

Ali Zalme: If we want to have a real picture of the Halabja massacre, we should understand all the aspects of this tragic event. First of all, the Halabja chemical attack came just before the end of the Iraq-Iran eight year’s war. Halabja was a symbolic city of the Kurdish recent resistance against the Ba’ath regime in Iraq. Saddam and his brutal regime were looking for an opportunity to take revenge on the people of Halabja region (Hawraman and Sharazoor ). Particularly, just 10 months before the Halabja attack, on 13 May 1987 people from the city of Halabja and the surrounding areas including Khormal, Sirwan Hawraman and Sharazoor had rebelled, which is known as the May Uprising against the Ba’ath government.

I and thousands of others, mostly young Kurdish students, came to the streets and demonstrated to stop the razing of Kurdish villages and rural area, while the regime was forcing the local people to live in controlled camps. For at least 5 hours we all celebrated the short freedom of Halabja, but soon Saddam’s army came back with assistance from other Iraqi army units and they were able to control the area. They used heavy artillery and a helicopter gunship. Many innocent people were killed and many others were injured. In addition the army randomly arrested hundreds of people, who were instantly killed by the Iraqi army and buried in mass graves near the town of Sayidsadq. Three of my cousins and one of my closest friends were among them.

Secondly, we also need to know that, prior to the Halabja attack, the Iranian intelligence forces were working with some high-ranking Iraqi army individuals, mostly Shias, to plan an attack against the Ba’ath regime. Some Kurds also believed that, in the context of strong oppression from the Iraqi army and regime, an eventual cooperation with Iran would help them liberate Halabja. On 13 March 1988, the initial attack of Iranian artillery and soldiers started. It was midnight, when I saw many Iranian soldiers marching and they told us to stay at home until all the region of Halabja would be cleaned from the Iraqi regime. But the Iraqi regime started fighting back by using helicopters and jet fighters. People were confused. Civilians split, some people fled the area, but many others stayed in the liberated towns. My family decided to stay in the city until 8.00 pm on 15 March. Later we realized that we should leave the city and we were lucky to escape on time. The five-hour attack began early in the evening of 16 March 1988, following a series of random attacks using rocket and napalm, when Iraqi Mirage aircraft began dropping chemical bombs on Halabja’s residential areas, far from the besieged Iraqi army base on the outskirts of the town.

An Iraqi aircraft conducted up to 20 bombings in sorties of seven to eight planes each; helicopters coordinating the operation were also seen. We all eye-witnessed clouds of smoke billowing upward “white, black and then yellow”‘, rising as a column about 50 metres in the air. Later, many of my relatives and friends who were victims of the attack, said to me that the gas at first smelled of sweet apples; they said people died and were wounded in a number of ways, some of the victims “just dropped dead” while others “died of laughing”; while still others took a few minutes to die, first “burning and blistering” or coughing up green vomit.  It is believed that Iraqi forces used multiple chemical agents during the attack, including mustard gas and the nerve agent Sarin. Most of the wounded people, including my own maternal uncle, were taken to hospitals in the Iranian capital Tehran with heavy suffering from mustard gas exposure.

Lorin Sarkissian: What is the current situation in Halabja today? What do you think is the role of Halabja in the construction of the modern Kurdish identity abroad?

Ali Zalme: Halabja is the unfinished story of the Kurdish nation; it is also a symbolic city of a crime committed against humanity as a whole. Unfortunately, there are many more victims from Halabja who are still suffering from the mustard gas exposure. Of course, Halabja now is looking alive and people are happier than before, but there are many other things which have to be done. For example, recognising Halabja and Anfal as a genocide crime by the United Nation and the international community is what people from Halabja need urgently. I think our new generation here in exile is well aware of those tragic events that happened to us just because we were Kurds. My daughter is only 8 years old and her date of birth is accidently on 16 March. But out of respect for the victims of Halabja, she decided always to celebrate her birthday in a different day. Halabja now becomes an identity of the Kurds everywhere and becomes an ambassador of the Kurdish oppressed people in the world. Deep in my heart I pay tribute to my thousands of brothers and sisters who died innocently in Halabja.

Republished from Ararat News with permission from Ali Zalme.

Source: http://kurdistantribune.com/2013/halabja-witness-tells-about-saddams-poison-gas-attack/

An Australian/Kurdish joint venture since 2009, Kurdistan Adventures combines local knowledge with Western tour operating management. We pride ourselves on immersing our small groups of travelers in Iraqi Kurdistan culture with safety, security and professionalism. Our 8 day escorted tour includes the 3 major cities of Dohuk, Erbil and Sulymaniyah. A dedicated local guide will take you to key historical sites, explain local customs, dine with you in traditional restaurants and allow you to experience this amazing culture. Citizens of many countries including Australia, New Zealand, the EU, Canada, the UK and the USA are granted a free visa on arrival.

The acerbic arguments about Iraq return this month with the 10th anniversary of the intervention. This milestone coincides with the 25th anniversary of the Kurdish genocide which itself began 50 years ago. It is a year of anniversaries.

Lest we forget: 16 March 1988. Halabja, a small town, where 5,000 people were killed by weapons of mass destruction: mustard gas and nerve agents. Many more were hideously injured and their ailments persist. So does the discovery of mass graves. There is another Iraq under Iraq, as a Kurdish official memorably told me.

The last months of the genocide took about 200,000 Kurdish lives with many more before that. Overall, Saddam’s death toll across Iraq runs into the hundreds of thousands and well over a million with the conscript soldiers who died in the Iran-Iraq war.

Given Halabja and his refusal to cooperate with the UN, I then accepted that Saddam had maintained his WMD, was a serial offender against mandatory UN Security Council resolutions, and was a destabilising factor in the Middle East. It is shameful that the world permitted Saddam’s war crimes and genocide.

The Kurds, in particular, are categorical about describing the intervention in 2003 as ‘liberation’. I often see people’s jaws drop when I mention this, but how could it be otherwise? Some say that the plight of the Kurds, a large minority in Iraq, could not by itself justify intervention. I ask how their persecution could justify non-intervention.

But the question now is not so much about intervention – supporters and opponents are certain of their case – but also the conduct of the occupation and whether Iraq is now a better place.

Those who differed over the intervention generally unite in criticising the occupation as disastrous. Yet we should acknowledge how difficult it was to reckon the depth of the physical and psychological legacy of Saddam. The context of decades of one-party rule, the crushing of independent thought and action, mass terror and genocide still frame Iraq’s efforts to democratise.

Given this, progress has been mixed. The Kurdistan region is clearly thriving as the safest, most stable, and prosperous part of Iraq, with a headstart of 12 years of relative freedom from Saddam. The number of deaths through terrorism is about 200 since 2003. It has built a major energy sector from nothing in just a few years. And it has helped stabilise the rest of Iraq and could be a model for it to follow.

Kurdistan faces the problems of transition from a war-torn and dirt-poor command economy but has the resilience to reform further and faster. Its different order of problems flow from growth and prosperity. These include how to reduce inequality, boost independent civil society, involve youth, increase the power of the private sector and ensure better public services. Iraq and Kurdistan are heavily reliant on energy revenues and need to avoid the curse of natural resources which can obstruct a more diverse and sustainable economy.

The picture in Arab Iraq is worse. Violence is dramatically down but still very serious. Despite vast energy revenues, the condition of the masses is pitiful. There are just a few hours of electricity each day compared to almost continuous power in the Kurdish north. Other services are poor. Unemployment, often masked in increasingly bloated ministries, and corruption are soaring.

Baghdad is bottom of the list of 221 cities for quality of life while the Kurdish capital, Erbil, is ranked high in lists of places to visit and, in a sign that tourism is becoming important, is due to be ‘Arab tourism capital’ in 2014.

Baghdad has the form, but not yet the content, of a functioning democracy. Its parliament meets irregularly, although it has recently agreed a two-term limit for the prime minister, who is unconstitutionally accumulating power.

Iraq is a part of the Middle East which is very much a man’s world. The position of women is improving and women are better represented in its parliaments than they are here. But access to work, ‘honour’ killings and female genital mutilation are live issues, although Kurdish political leaders in particular are making strong moral and legislative moves to accelerate cultural change.

Sunni and Kurdish minorities, beneficiaries and victims respectively of Saddam, increasingly have more in common as they reject centralisation and what Sunnis see as ghettoisation.

The main aim of Labour Friends of Iraq was to unite those who differed on the invasion in supporting the unions, which had been all but liquidated by Saddam but sprang back to life in 2003.

An LFIQ team visited Baghdad in 2008 to talk with the prime minister about lifting Saddam’s old restrictions and to embrace labour laws in tune with international norms. He praised unions and independent bodies effusively, but did nothing. Indeed, such groups have been the victims of increasingly sectarian and authoritarian politics in Baghdad.

Iraq inhabits a very tough neighbourhood and is increasingly embroiled in the wider Sunni-Shia geopolitical schism. Iraq aligns itself with Iran, which has bloody fingers in many pies. Turkey’s astonishing detente, based on hard-nosed commercial considerations, with the Kurdistan region could also help end the long and bloody war between it and the PKK.

A domineering Arab, though Shia, nationalism is bubbling in Baghdad and could splinter Iraq. American troops used to help check these tensions but their withdrawal immediately sparked a series of deep and still-unresolved crises over the past year.

Solutions to these problems lie in Iraq. There is a deep respect in Iraq for British businesses, services and institutions. Friends here and elsewhere can disagree about intervention but can help Iraqis make the federal and democratic settlement work and lay the ghost of Saddam to rest forever. This work could only begin when the monster had gone but it is still a long road to recovery in Iraq.

A longer version of this appears at Progress http://www.progressonline.org.uk/2013/03/06/laying-the-ghost-of-saddam-to-rest/

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/gary-kent/iraq-ten-years-on_b_2822370.html

An Australian/Kurdish joint venture since 2009, Kurdistan Adventures combines local knowledge with Western tour operating management. We pride ourselves on immersing our small groups of travelers in Iraqi Kurdistan culture with safety, security and professionalism. Our 8 day escorted tour includes the 3 major cities of Dohuk, Erbil and Sulymaniyah. A dedicated local guide will take you to key historical sites, explain local customs, dine with you in traditional restaurants and allow you to experience this amazing culture. Citizens of many countries including Australia, New Zealand, the EU, Canada, the UK and the USA are granted a free visa on arrival.

Naza Tower will give tourists birds-eye view of Erbil City.

Erbil is set to be the fifth city in Middle East with the tallest skyscraper, costing US$ 120 Million.

The Kurdish capital is set to become a tourist attraction, and the government is investing heavily in the city to retain its heritage, and make it tourist friendly. The 275 meter tall Naza Tower will give a different view of this luxurious city. A three-story mall building was brought down on a main street in the Kurdish capital of Erbil to build the country’s tallest skyscraper, which is expected to make Erbil the fifth city in Middle East with tallest skyscraper.

The tower will have 65 floors built on a 32 thousand square meters plot of land. The overall height of the tower will be 275 meters. The project, which is now under construction, is a joint venture between the owner of the previous building of Naza Mall, Haji Shahab Nuraddin, and the owner of Kirmanj Company, Sabah Nuri.

“Naza Tower will be a unique attraction for tourists who want to see Erbil from its highest point,” said Nuri explaining the tourism value of the project. “In addition to creating many business opportunities, hundreds of job openings both during and after construction, this tower will give Erbil another tourist and trade meaning.” Engineer Nuri stated in an interview with the Kurdish Globe that the total investment for the project is US$ 120 million.

“The tower will have 400 apartments and office spaces,” Nuri told the Globe. “The three lower floors of the building will be allocated for restaurants, cafes and shops. Moreover, according to Eng. Nuri, the project also includes a parking lot with a capacity of 1000 cars. Naza Tower is currently under construction, and is estimated to take at least three years of construction work. The UAE based OGH Design and Consultancy Company has designed the project, and the local Raha Design Company has designed the civil parts of the project.

Firaz Ahmed, the project’s civil engineer, argues that the design of the tower is not copied from that of any other towers in the world, and that it is a unique design. Eng. Ahmed explained that although they have been asked to copy the design of a tower in another country, they refused to do so. “After visiting many countries including Turkey, Britain, Lebanon, Emirates and Iran we decided to make use of their ideas but to create something unique for Kurdistan,” Eng Ahmed told the Globe.

According to this engineer, the tallest building in Turkey is 60 stories, in Iran 52, in Lebanon 54, while Naza Tower, with its 65 stories, will be the tallest among these countries. If completed, the tower will also be in the list of top 240 to 250 tallest towers of the world.

Source: http://www.kurdishglobe.net/display-article.html?id=C9C8C30C9B9FEBC7F3EB09B927098E73

An Australian/Kurdish joint venture since 2009, Kurdistan Adventures combines local knowledge with Western tour operating management. We pride ourselves on immersing our small groups of travelers in Iraqi Kurdistan culture with safety, security and professionalism. Our 8 day escorted tour includes the 3 major cities of Dohuk, Erbil and Sulymaniyah. A dedicated local guide will take you to key historical sites, explain local customs, dine with you in traditional restaurants and allow you to experience this amazing culture. Citizens of many countries including Australia, New Zealand, the EU, Canada, the UK and the USA are granted a free visa on arrival.

The Kurdistan Region is one of the most promising emerging destinations for investments and business opportunities. The region has huge resources of oil and gas. However, it is in the middle of a very unstable region. What, in your opinion, should investors know about Kurdistan? What are the opportunities, the challenges or the negatives?

First, let me welcome you to Kurdistan, which is considered a gate to Iraq. It has many opportunities for investments. We also have many American, European, and neighboring countries’ companies operating here in all sectors because nowadays the region is considered as a booming place for investments. Also, there is a lot of work to be done when it comes to construction, contracting, commerce and trading because our region is in need of all the efforts to develop the infrastructure, tourism and construction, along with many other sectors like oil and natural resources found in Kurdistan. You also need to keep in mind that you can head out from Kurdistan to Baghdad and all other Iraqi provinces since many of the companies are based in Erbil so they launch their operations from here to serve other cities like Baghdad, Kirkuk, Basrah and the rest of the Iraqi provinces. As for investments, any foreign company can come and invest in Kurdistan, whether in commerce, industry, agriculture or even hospitals (healthcare).

How do you see the prospects for future developments within the business tourism industry? What is the market potential? Maybe you can give us some statistics about the industry.

Kurdistan is considered to be a booming place for tourism because of the water, mountains, valleys, and plain sceneries along with the nice atmosphere. Until 2003 there was no tourism in Kurdistan. Then after the change of regime people started to build more hotels, tourist attractions, sport places and restaurants. Starting a tourism project in Kurdistan is considered to be very profitable. Also, the region will be Iraq’s capital for tourism in 2014.

As a hotel entrepreneur and developer, how do you play the market? What kind of strategy are you using?

We lack services that provide proper promotions for the hotels in our region. We are in need of companies that would come here to organize campaigns and trips to the neighboring countries. We also wish to see foreigners coming from outside to spend summer vacations and experience the tourism here. And as I said earlier, we have huge hotel projects underway in the region that are still to be completed, like Hilton, Sheraton and other 5-star hotels.

In your opinion, what are the factors that make you believe in the tourism and hotel sector in the Kurdistan Region?

That is a known fact. I clearly remember how the tourists from Europe and other Arab countries, especially the ones from the Arabian Gulf area, would come to Kurdistan in the 1960′s. I clearly remember that era when they used to go to Lebanon and come to Erbil to spend summer vacation because the Kurds know how to host and welcome guests and tourists.

In regards to trading with brands, do you feel that the trading is still in a development stage? Or do you think there are many brands that already started to compete in the market?

No, we don’t have many brands in the market. The country is in a demand of almost everything, including raw materials. For example, now we have a goal where we want to develop ourselves and build factories here involving all sectors (such as the food industry and agriculture) and then just settle with importing raw materials from outside in case such materials are not found here. Again, when it comes to raw materials, Kurdistan is like all of Iraq. We need raw materials and other kinds of products because the locally made products are still limited in quantity. So, we started a development plan for Kurdistan wherein we will attract deals to build factories and not just buy goods. We want to support the workforce so they can also benefit and not just settle with importing ready-made goods.

Now a question about the challenges that face you as an international businessman, since you travel abroad a lot. What do you think are the challenges of this market when compared to other countries?

Before we used to face hardships when it came to traveling from Kurdistan to other countries. Yet in the recent years we didn’t witness any negative changes since the region is working toward development. Even the people from Baghdad visiting us would think they are in a different country – noticing the differences between Kurdistan and Baghdad in terms of architectural, cultural and social aspects. Also, we couldn’t get visas before. We couldn’t travel outside to other countries. But now things are different since other countries witnessed the possibilities for work and investments here. They start having consulates and bring their companies to operate in Kurdistan, and at the same time, they would offer visas to local businessmen, tourists, and even the ones seeking specialized medical care. I would also like to mention that we have big hospitals here with qualified local and foreign medical staff. Thus, getting a visa to the U.S., Europe, Japan, and South East Asia became easy and normal – opening the door for the Kurdish businessman to visit all markets in all countries easily.

What do you think are the secrets of doing business in Kurdistan, and what does it take for a company to be successful in Kurdistan?

One can meet success within many fields. For example, if we are talking about investment projects that may interest foreign companies, then it is known that the door is still open for them. We have vast fertile lands suitable for agriculture or cattle, or even for industrial strategic projects. We also welcomed companies that came to work in housing or infrastructure projects and met huge success. There is also the oil sector. But if you ask me, I would say that working in the food and animal sectors is the most profitable.

Source: http://www.marcopolis.net/iraqi-kurdistan-is-a-booming-place-for-tourism-says-al-basmala-company-2602.htm

An Australian/Kurdish joint venture since 2009, Kurdistan Adventures combines local knowledge with Western tour operating management. We pride ourselves on immersing our small groups of travelers in Iraqi Kurdistan culture with safety, security and professionalism. Our 8 day escorted tour includes the 3 major cities of Dohuk, Erbil and Sulymaniyah. A dedicated local guide will take you to key historical sites, explain local customs, dine with you in traditional restaurants and allow you to experience this amazing culture. Citizens of many countries including Australia, New Zealand, the EU, Canada, the UK and the USA are granted a free visa on arrival.

“I am sure the book can change people’s mind concerning the region.”

A Dutch lady, Yvonne Van der Bijl, is collecting information on Kurdistan Region in order to make the first Travel Guide book about the region in English language. Van der Bijl is a photographer, writer, visual artist, and performer. She has previously produced travel guide books on several other countries including Guatemala, Bolivia, and Morocco.

The idea of producing the travel guide on Kurdistan came after Van der Bijl was informed by his friend Parwez Zabihi, a Kurdish man, about the importance of the region in 2011.

“I chose Guatemala, Bolivia, and Morocco because of the traditional culture their people have. I understand that Kurdistan has a traditional culture as well. To make a travel guide for me and many people in the world is very important. My idea is to attract the attention of travelers in Europe and all over the world to visit Kurdistan,” said Van der Bijl.

The concept of the travel guide is to get readers acquainted with background information on landscape, weather, history, music, situation of women, and several other things in Kurdistan. According to Van der Bijl what People in Holland hear about Kurdistan is all negative because of the newspapers. But the travel guide will make a different stand point about Kurdistan. It will make the readers to know positive things about the region.

The book contains also practical information about hotels, restaurants, archeological sites, tourist attractions and all the interesting places. “I am sure if someone visits Kurdistan and has the book, he can go to all the interesting places without depending on others.”

Van der Bijl and Zabihi have taken many pictures in Kurdistan and gathered necessary information about the region for the sake of producing a beneficial guide. The book will be edited by Max Scott, an editor and publisher in London and will be published by Gilgamesh-Publishing London, a publisher in London for producing books about Middle East. All the works of the guide is expected to be completed in mid-April.

Van der Bijl started the project in April 2011 and made three big trips to Kurdistan. In her last trip, Van der Bijl concentrated on Christian, Jewish, and Yazidi cultures in the region. There is also a list of highlights about the recommended places people can go to.

When asked if the book will have a lot of buyers, Van der Bijl answered, “I am sure the book is very beneficial and have readers once it is published. My other books have good number of readers. I hope this will have a big number of readers as well. The travel guide has also information for business travelers and expats,”

Van der Bijl has some ideas about advertising for the book once published. She plans to make presentations in an Art Center in Amsterdam and in all the provinces of Erbil, Duhok, and Suleimaniya. She also participated in the first World Kurdish Congress where she talked about the archeological and tourist locations. She plans to take part in the second World Kurdish Congress where she can talk about the book.

“I am not saying that Kurdistan is paradise but I want to be realistic and show what is right. I am sure the book can change people’s mind concerning the region. That way many investors can be attracted to invest in the region as well,” Van der Bijl noted.

Van der Bijl has also a historical and sociological woman project, which is a documentary book on two famous women, Hapsa Khan Naqeeb and Van der Bijl’s grandmother, Harkje. She has made a comparison between them in the respect of their educational and political achievements.

“I collected information and pictures of Naqeeb in Suelimaniya University, and Flokwang museum and a library in London. The book shows that both women tried for the emancipation of women and raising educational level of women,” Van der Bijl disclosed.

The book tells the readers that both women created opportunities for women to educate themselves. Van der Bijl’s aim is to make women raise their education level through reading the book in which she emphasized on the importance of woman position in the society.

In Van der Bijl’s view, women can do nothing without education and she thinks many good things have been done for Kurdish women but more things yet need to be done. Van der Bijl paid her tribute to her oldest friend, Baban Kirkuki who is a Kurdish poet writing in Dutch, for doing translations for the book. “Baban Kirkuki opened Kurdistan for me. I met with him in 2002 when I knew nothing about Kurdistan,”

Van der Bijl has other projects underway, but right now she is only focusing on the guide and the women documentary book on Hapsa Khan Naqeeb and her grandmother.

“I tried to connect Dutch culture with the Kurdish culture. Through my works, I want with all my heart to put Kurdistan on the map.” She concluded.

Source: http://www.kurdishglobe.net/display-article.html?id=0D2D9AE31C8D56F6913138B87780CD3B

An Australian/Kurdish joint venture since 2009, Kurdistan Adventures combines local knowledge with Western tour operating management. We pride ourselves on immersing our small groups of travelers in Iraqi Kurdistan culture with safety, security and professionalism. Our 8 day escorted tour includes the 3 major cities of Dohuk, Erbil and Sulymaniyah. A dedicated local guide will take you to key historical sites, explain local customs, dine with you in traditional restaurants and allow you to experience this amazing culture. Citizens of many countries including Australia, New Zealand, the EU, Canada and the USA are granted a free visa on arrival.

After a 23-year break, Baghdad is now a one-stop flight away from the British capital.

Iraqi Airways has announced it will resume flights from Baghdad International Airport to London Gatwick starting on March 5.

The resumption is a remarkable development given there hasn’t been a regular scheduled flight between the two capitals since the outbreak of the 1990-1991 Gulf War.

The first flight will depart from London Gatwick at 10 p.m., according to a statement from Iraqi Airways.

The airline will use its newly purchased Airbus A330, A321 and A320 planes to operate two return flights from London to Baghdad and one to Sulaimaniya every week.

“The frequency will increase to six flights a week by June 15, 2013,” said the airline.

“All return flights will stop in Malmo, Sweden, for a period of one hour for security reasons before entering the UK. The routes have already been granted permission by the UK Civil Aviation Authority.”

Online booking isn’t possible at this time. Those who search for flights are advised to fill in a contact form and are told an Iraqi Airways official will be in touch. Or they can contact the airline’s U.K. office, at +44 (0)2 07 724 8455.

A round-trip Baghdad-London ticket starts from £468 (US$724) per person for an economy seat, £1,399 (US$2,164) for business class.

The announcement comes on the heels of the airline’s acceptance of its first widebody Airbus A330-200 in December 2012, part of an ongoing fleet renewal program.

“The A330-200 will allow us to grow our international routes,” said Iraqi Airways general manager Saad Mahdi Saeed Al-Khafaji.

But don’t pack your bags yet, pleasure seekers. Tourist visas for Iraq aren’t currently being granted and most countries continue to advise against travel to the country. [Editors note: Free 15-day tourist visas on arrival are available for UK, US, EU, Canada, New Zealand and Australian passport holders and the US, UK, Canada and Australia all differentiate between travel to Iraq proper versus the Kurdistan region.]

The service is expected to be mainly of interest to Iraqi expats and students living in the UK.

Troubled history

Founded in 1945, Iraqi Airways is one of the oldest airlines in the Middle East. It’s based at Baghdad International Airport.

Though the March 5 flights will be the first scheduled flights to the United Kingdom in 23 years, Iraqi Airways has been flying to the European Union since 2009.

That year the flag carrier sent its first flight to the EU in 19 years when an aircraft flew from Baghdad to Stockholm via Athens.

In 2010, Iraqi Airways attempted to restart Baghdad/London service and even flew its first commercial flight to the United Kingdom in 20 years, filled with government officials. But regular service never materialized.

The airline was set to be dissolved and the U.K. flights were dropped due to a row with Kuwait over war reparations, a decision that was reversed in 2011.

Today Iraqi Airways services more than a dozen domestic and international routes.

Source: http://travel.cnn.com/iraqi-airways-resumes-direct-flights-london-943221

An Australian/Kurdish joint venture since 2009, Kurdistan Adventures combines local knowledge with Western tour operating management. We pride ourselves on immersing our small groups of travelers in Iraqi Kurdistan culture with safety, security and professionalism. Our 8 day escorted tour includes the 3 major cities of Dohuk, Erbil and Sulymaniyah. A dedicated local guide will take you to key historical sites, explain local customs, dine with you in traditional restaurants and allow you to experience this amazing culture. Citizens of many countries including Australia, New Zealand, the EU, Canada and the USA are granted a free visa on arrival.

The Kurdistan Region of Iraq is preparing to change its investment approach to focus on new areas of foreign and local investment — including tourism, agriculture and industry — after having focused exclusively on housing and oil for the past six years.

Despite the fact that oil investments are the largest investments in the Kurdistan region, they fall outside of the investment law. These investments are carried out in a differ manner from those in business, industry and agriculture.

According to statistics obtained by Al-Monitor from the General Investment Authority in the Kurdistan Region, foreign and local investments have reached $24.5 billion across 521 projects extending over an area of 8500 acres in the region’s three major cities, Erbil, Sulaymaniyah and Dohuk.

The regional government began granting licenses for investment projects after Kurdistan’s parliament issued Investment Law No. 4 in 2006.

The regional government opened the door to domestic and foreign investment after 2006. Previously, the region lacked a suitable platform for investment, primarily due to the fact that there were two administrations operating in the region. One was in Erbil, administered by Massoud Barzani’s party, while the other was in Sulaymaniyah under the management of Jalal Talabani’s party. These two merged into a single administration after 2005.

The Kurdish administration that was formed in 1992 split into two administrations following the outbreak of the civil war in 1994. This war was between the two ruling parties and lasted until 1998, when the leaders of these two parties, Barzani and Talabani, reconciled at the initiative of the American administration at the time. However, the region remained under the management of two administrations until 2005.

Kurdish oil, gas, and energy investments were not included in accordance with the region’s Oil and Gas Law.

Article 2, Section 2 of the regional Investment Law stipulates all fields of investment except for oil and energy, as it is not included in this law.

In a declaration, Minister of Natural Resources (i.e. the Ministry of Oil) in the Kurdistan Regional government Ashti Hawarmi said that there are around 50 foreign companies working in the oil and gas sector, which sees investments up until now of $15-$20 billion.

The Kurdistan Regional Government has thus far focused primarily on housing projects, which have expanded to reach 8,500 units. Oil and health projects have also been initiated, local hospitals and 5-star hotels have been built, and small projects have been funded through grants in the agricultural, industrial and banking sectors.

The government’s interest in housing projects and in building hotels reflects its desire to restore the region’s destroyed infrastructure that was damaged by difficult economic conditions in the 1990s.

Since the 1991 Kurdish uprising  against the former Iraqi regime until its collapse in 2003, the region has despaired under the foreign blockade on Iraq and the Iraqi blockade on the Kurdistan region. This caused the region to fall behind in a number of fields, especially in housing development as evidenced by the enormous housing crisis. The crisis was felt even more after the economy approved during the post-Saddam era.

Norouz Mawloud, director of legal affairs at the investment authority, says that the housing sector has reached advanced stages. As a result, the focus is now shifting to three other vital sectors: agriculture, tourism and industry.

Over the past few years, several housing complexes have been built to provide people with limited income and governmental employees the opportunity to buy a house and pay for it in monthly installments. Young people have especially benefited, since they could pay just half of the house’s price in the beginning, and pay back the remainder through installments over ten years.

Figures from the commerce ministry in the region indicate that the number of registered foreign companies currently exceeds 2,000.

Kawa Wali Muhammad Ali, an economic analyst and academic in the faculty of business and economy at Saladin University in Erbil, says that the 2006 investment law encouraged investors by protecting their interests. “After the parliament approved the law and the regional government ratified it, many foreign companies entered the region,” he told Al-Monitor. “Today, hundreds of projects are being implemented by foreign companies or investors,” he added.

Article 5 of the investment law provides that a project is exempt from all customs-related taxes and fines for ten years from the start date of providing services or starting production.

The article also provides a tax exemption for spare parts imported for a project, as long as their value doesn’t exceed 15% of the value of machines and tools. Imported raw production materials are also exempted from customs duties for five years.

Foreign investments in Iraqi Kurdistan constitute between 37% and 47% of local investments, in addition to roughly 15% of shared investments. “We are bullish, but our ambition is for the rate of investments to increase even more,” Ali says. “The Kurdistan Region of Iraq has wide spaces that are suitable for agriculture, in addition to natural touristic regions that can attract tourists, especially during summer.”

Ali adds that the region’s new interest in agriculture, industry and tourism is very important, and he says investors should launch industrial projects in Erbil, Sulaymaniyah and Dohuk. “The government must focus on profitable industries and facilitate the conditions to implement such projects,” he says.

Source: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/02/kurdistan-iraq-investment-approach.html

An Australian/Kurdish joint venture since 2009, Kurdistan Adventures combines local knowledge with Western tour operating management. We pride ourselves on immersing our small groups of travelers in Iraqi Kurdistan culture with safety, security and professionalism. Our 8 day escorted tour includes the 3 major cities of Dohuk, Erbil and Sulymaniyah. A dedicated local guide will take you to key historical sites, explain local customs, dine with you in traditional restaurants and allow you to experience this amazing culture. Citizens of many countries including Australia, New Zealand, the EU, Canada and the USA are granted a free visa on arrival.

The Kurds of Iraq are the big winners in the 10 years since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. They have also been lucky. Up to a few weeks before the invasion in 2003, the US was intending to invade northern Iraq from Turkey, along with 40,000 Turkish troops. The Kurds were horrified at this, suspecting that once the Turks were in northern Iraq it would be impossible to get them out. I remember the Kurdish relief and jubilation when the Turkish parliament voted against participating in the US invasion.

SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region – Hushiyar Ali, 29 and unemployed, hopes that spring will bring loads of tourists to the Kurdistan Region, earning him enough money to survive the rest of the year.

“Spring in Kurdistan is the season of earning for the other seasons,” Ali says. “If you work hard in this season, you will save enough for your other three seasons, and definitely enough to not look for government assistance,” he adds.

Ali is preparing to set up a stall in one of the tourist sites, selling souvenirs and other items to visitors. Like many other unemployed in the Kurdistan Region, he is pinning his hopes on earnings from tourists.

“We expect the tourism projects to generate about 5,000 job opportunities,” says Nadir Rusti, spokesman of the Kurdistan General Directory of Tourism (KGDT).

That is good news for university graduates, who comprised the bulk of protesters recently demonstrating for jobs in different cities and towns of Kurdistan.

“Only in Ebril province alone, there are currently 47 tourist projects under construction,” Rusti says, adding that, “The design of another 65 tourists sites in other Kurdistan provinces has been completed.”

Rusti told Rudaw that his office insists on completing the Tourism Strategic Plan, which is expected to be finished by the beginning of 2015.

“In 2015, tourism revenues in Kurdistan must reach 1.5 billion dollars. For the current year, we will reach 1 billion dollars,” according to Rusti.

“The tourism sector is no less important than the oil sector,” notes Ashraf Talabani, former deputy head of the directorate of tourism in Kurdistan.  “The tourism sector, like the oil sector, can revitalize the economy and find jobs for the unemployed,” Talabani adds.

Mawlawi Jabbar, the head of the KGDT, estimates revenues from room rentals alone at a quarter of a billion dollars in 2012.

“We have had 4.9 million room rentals. If each one of these rents were only $50, then that is about $250 million dollars generated by tourism,” says Jabbar.  “Therefore, we believe in 2013 tourism revenues will reach $1 billion.”

According to KGDT data, tourism revenues for 2011 were between $500 million to $600 million and close to $800 million last year, and tourist numbers have increased by 35 percent from 2007 to 2011.

Source: http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurds/5691.html

An Australian/Kurdish joint venture since 2009, Kurdistan Adventures combines local knowledge with Western tour operating management. We pride ourselves on immersing our small groups of travelers in Iraqi Kurdistan culture with safety, security and professionalism. Our 8 day escorted tour includes the 3 major cities of Dohuk, Erbil and Sulymaniyah. A dedicated local guide will take you to key historical sites, explain local customs, dine with you in traditional restaurants and allow you to experience this amazing culture. Citizens of many countries including Australia, New Zealand, the EU, Canada and the USA are granted a free visa on arrival.

Ahead of the Telegraph Adventure Travel show, we round up some of the best adventures for the year ahead.

Burma (Myanmar) is undoubtedly one of the destinations to visit at the moment.

**Important note: Check the latest Foreign Office advice before travelling**

**See below for details of an exclusive Telegraph discount for entry to the Telegraph Adventure Travel Show**

Take a trip to North Korea

Contact Peregrine Adventures

(0845 863 9667; peregrineadventures.com) Price £3,615

Be among only 2,000 Westerners a year permitted to enter North Korea. This 14-day Apex of Adventure trip includes three days in the capital, Pyongyang, visits to Mount Myohyang, the Kumgang massif, Kaesong and the DMZ, as well as an opportunity to explore the countryside and its villages.

Join an expedition to South Sudan

On this 14-day trip you will combine an exploratory trek in the Imatong Mountains with a river journey down the least explored stretch of the White Nile. You will also trek through remote, overgrown jungle paths that were used as transit routes to Uganda during the civil war.

Contact Secret Compass (020 3239 8038; secretcompass.com) Price £2,999

Cycle through Jordan

This nine-day trip takes you from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea – there are not many cycling holidays where you can cover such historical ground as well as cycle from 400m below sea level up to a 12th-century crusader castle at 900m above. Local leaders ride for their national team and thoroughly enjoy showing off their country’s best routes.

Contact KE Adventure Travel (01768 773966; keadventure.com) Price from £1,345

Walk the full length of Nepal’s Great Himalaya Trail

This trip should really only be considered by those with extensive trekking and mountaineering experience, a high level of fitness and a flexible approach. The 152-day trek commences in the far east, in the Kanchenjunga region, and traverses the country to the high plateaus on the Tibetan borderlands, in the far west.

On this 1,056-mile (1,700 km) trail you will encounter some of the wildest and most remote mountain environments imaginable; you’ll see all of Nepal’s 8,000m peaks; cross dozens of passes, ranging from moderate to extreme; and visit villages unchanged for centuries.

Contact World Expeditions (020 8545 9030; worldexpeditions.com)

Price £19,990

Get off the beaten track in Burma

Burma (Myanmar) is undoubtedly one of the destinations to visit at the moment; the challenge is to continue developing tours which offer truly authentic and memorable experiences. This is exactly what Wild Frontiers aims to achieve with this 14-day trip which spends much of its time away from the main roads, focusing on life in the Burmese countryside.

Contact Wild Frontiers (020 7736 3968; wildfrontiers.co.uk) Price £3,095

Kayak and snorkel in Komodo National Park

This 10-day expedition is unique, as only one operator runs kayaking expeditions in the park. With an experienced guide, you will paddle between the islands, camp on uninhabited islands with glorious beaches and visit stilted villages. You will have the chance to swim and snorkel on the some superb reefs as well as being able to explore the islands by foot: on Rinca you will see komodo dragons, buffalo, deer, monkeys and wild pigs.

Contact Pioneer Expeditions (0845 004 7801;pioneerexpeditions.com)

Price from £1,695

Take a cruise in the midnight sun

Travelling on a beautiful three-masted sailing ship and accompanied by polar experts, this 11-day voyage provides a true Arctic expedition experience. The midnight sun guarantees 24 hours of sunlight, which, combined with the length of the voyage, allows for greater chances of spotting wildlife such as the rare bowhead whale and humpbacks, plus more time to appreciate the beauty of Greenland’s unique iceberg-strewn landscapes.

Contact Aqua Firma (0844 412 0848; aqua-firma.co.uk) Price £2,390

Chase a Storm in Tornado Alley

Every spring and summer, bands of storm chasers travel around Mexico, Canada and the United States to observe violent tornadoes at close range, powerful supercell thunderstorms and enormous hailstones, often intercepting more than 30 tornadoes a season.

These seven- or 10-day tours are led by a team of experienced storm-chasing guides and meteorologists and transport is in roomy 15-passenger vans (maximum of six passengers per van), fully equipped with state-of-the-art mobile radar, satellite and internet technologies.

Contact Extreme Tornado Tours (extremetornadotours.com)

Price $2,600/£1,620, $3,500/£2,180

Float through the Okavango Delta

On this seven-day trip you will explore one of the world’s largest inland water systems. As you float down the remote waterways you will have the chance to watch the scenery of the Delta unfold and experience unique animal encounters as well as bird watching. Accommodation is on a secluded private island.

Contact Okavango River Safaris (00267 684 1016;okavangoriver.com)

Price from £726

Go on a Wild Horse Ride in Cuba

On this 12-day trip you will ride with the ex-champion jockey Richard Dunwoody and local cowboys through Cuba’s Pinar del Río Province, a beautiful tableau of limestone mogotes, underground caverns and fertile farmland.

You will be following the trail of Cuba’s traditional vaqueros (cowboys), riding across landscapes that have changed little in centuries.

Contact

Wild Frontiers (020 7736 3968; wildfrontiers.com) Price £2,395

Explore Kurdistan

The undiscovered Kurdistan region of Iraq is a place of stark beauty, warm hospitality and a rich, if sometimes turbulent, history.

Travelling through the provinces of Erbil, Dohuk and Sulaymaniyah over eight days, the Highlights of Kurdistan tour visits the beautiful mosques, impressive citadels and traditional covered markets of some of the oldest continually inhabited cites in the world.

Other highlights include people watching from chaikhanas (traditional tea houses) and a picnic with the locals on their traditional Friday holiday.

Contact Explore (0845 291 4542; explore.co.uk) Price from £2,289

Drive a classic car through India

Spend a day on the beach then head off on a 13-day, 1,000-mile (1,609 km) adventure in the mountains of southern India, along roads where few visitors ever travel. You will visit beautiful tea plantations, spend a night in a Maharaja’s palace and drink tea in an old British hill station.

Contact Classic Car Journeys (classiccarjourneys.co.uk)

Price £2,250

Follow the Silk Road

Starting in the rural Urumqi and ending in Beijing, this 15-day tour traverses deserts and grasslands on part of this ancient network of trade routes. Highlights include visiting the desert oasis of Tian Chi (Heaven Lake), the Flaming Mountains near Bezeklik and the farthest outpost of the Great Wall, the impressive Jiayuguan Fort.

Contact

On the Go Tours

(020 7371 1113; onthegotours.com) Price from £1,749

The Telegraph Adventure Travel Show

All the tour operators listed will appear at the Telegraph Adventure Travel Show, which is being held at Olympia in London (January 26, 27) and is Britain’s only show dedicated to holiday experiences off the beaten track.

Speakers include the Telegraph writers Ben Fogle, Nicholas Crane and James Cracknell (above) as well as Graham Hughes, the man who visited 201 countries without taking a single flight, Doug Scott, the veteran mountaineer known for the first ascent of the south-west face of Mount Everest, and Roz Savage, the first solo woman to complete the Atlantic rowing race.

As well as inspirational talks by leading travel experts and authors, there will be advice, writing and photography workshops and offers from the leading adventure-holiday providers, including all of those featured in our main article.

Exclusive discount

Telegraph Travel readers are being offered half-price tickets (£5) to the show, which is taking place on January 26 and 27. Tickets can be booked online at adventureshow.com or by calling 0871 230 7159 (calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras). Quote “TELEGRAPH” when making the booking to claim your discount.

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/activityandadventure/9805416/The-best-off-the-beaten-track-adventures-for-2013.html

An Australian/Kurdish joint venture since 2009, Kurdistan Adventures combines local knowledge with Western tour operating management. We pride ourselves on immersing our small groups of travelers in Iraqi Kurdistan culture with safety, security and professionalism. Our 8 day escorted tour includes the 3 major cities of Dohuk, Erbil and Sulymaniyah. A dedicated local guide will take you to key historical sites, explain local customs, dine with you in traditional restaurants and allow you to experience this amazing culture. Citizens of many countries including Australia, New Zealand, the EU, Canada and the USA are granted a free visa on arrival.