26/6/08
Iraqis can finally get away from it all. After five years of war and sectarian bloodshed, they have been able to travel to the green, tranquil mountains of northern Iraq’s Kurdistan region by the thousands this summer, leaving behind the heat, dust and daily killings in their country’s heartland. Organised bus tours to autonomous Kurdistan are made possible by improved security in recent months, though roads remain treacherous and visitors are stopped at a string of roadblocks before reaching their vacation getaways. More than 23,000 Iraqis headed to Kurdistan this summer, up from 3,700 last year, tourism officials say. A week in a modest hotel, with bus fare, costs about $160 per person, or one-third an average monthly salary. Still, it’s been a good season for Kurdish hotel and souvenir shop owners.And the budding tourist trade is helping to soften some of the hard feelings between Iraq’s Kurdish minority and Arab majority.