The ancient city of Babylon, once the cultural capital of Iraq, received the largest share of 59 billion dinars (approx. $49.4 million). The money is for establishing cultural infrastructure and repairing damage to archaeological sites.
"The money is received so that the international bodies and the Iraqi authorities can start to build the infrastructure and make the sites tourist attractions. That in turn is expected to attract international bodies to help conserve the infrastructure of the heritage cities," said Mahmoud al-Qurguli, director of the ministry’s children culture office.
The ministry allocated 20 billion dinars (approx. $16.8 million) to the city of Samarra, north of Baghdad. The money will revive damaged tourism facilities and revamp religious and historical sites in the city.
"As long as the security situation is stable, these allocations contribute to an increase of tourists, as Iraq is classified as a tourist country in terms of nature, history, religions and many other things," said Nadeem, an adviser to the Iraqi Council of Representatives Speaker Mohamed al-Halbousi.
A total of 15 billion dinars (approx. $12.6 million) was allocated for the construction of tourist structures in the natural marshes in the central and southern parts of the country.
The ancient city of Ur, a nominee for the UNESCO World Heritage Site, is to develop and promote eco-tourism and archeology.
The Iraqi government is seeking to invest in many other archaeological and heritage sites to support the tourism sector in the country as part of its efforts to diversify sources of national revenue and support the country's financial budget.
Reporting by Associated Press
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