Thaghab’s revenue-related suggestions are in line with the parliament’s tourism committee president who called on the government on Nov. 2, 2015, to impose a tax of $25 on each visitor in order to provide more financial resources to the country.
As part of future developments, the tourism committee drafted on July 12 a strategy to develop religious tourism in order to complete the road map and make Iraq a first-class tourist destination.
Member of parliament Amer al-Faez talked to Al-Monitor about the importance of “keeping religious tourism in Iraq far from sectarianism.” He said, “Iraq encompasses different religious sites for various Muslim and non-Muslim sects. Therefore, tourism is not restricted to Shiite shrines, unlike Saudi Arabia where tourism only targets Muslims.”
Faez added, “Encouraging investors and facilitating their work to develop the infrastructure will elevate Iraq to the status of countries that benefit financially from visitors of holy sites, just like Saudi Arabia whose financial revenues from religious visits have allowed it to develop its Islamic pilgrimage sites.”
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