Culture Ministry : Plan to establish an archaeology museum and tourist city in Najaf Al-Ashraf
The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities announced on Wednesday the establishment of a tourist city in Najaf Al-Ashraf at a cost of more than 100 million dollars as part of plans to support tourism in Iraq, while pointing to the development of a five-year plan to promote the archaeological sector in Iraq.
The head of the ministry's tourism authority, Nasser Ghanem Murad, told the Iraqi News Agency (INA): 'There are new plans to support the tourism sector in Iraq, including providing wide facilities for tourist hotels, tax exemptions, canceling interest and late fines, in addition to scheduling debts if any, as well as supporting these hotels with electricity through special coordination with the Ministry of Electricity.'
Regarding tourists coming from neighboring countries, Murad stressed that 'dealing with the Iranian side has been reformulated to facilitate the entry of Iranian pilgrims,' stressing 'the need to give hotels and tourism companies a role in setting prices that ensure their continuity without losses that may lead to their closure or affect their work.'
Regarding the development of archaeological sites and support for major tourism projects, Murad explained that 'there is great coordination between the Tourism Authority and the Antiquities Authority, as it has been directed to work jointly to promote the archaeological sector, as one of the main pillars to revitalize tourism in Iraq,' noting that 'there are important projects under implementation.'
He pointed to 'the importance of developing archaeological sites such as Al-Ukhaidir Fortress and others, while ensuring the provision of integrated tourism components for visitors,' noting that 'there is a five-year plan to promote the archaeological sector and increase the archaeological areas that are ready to receive tourists.'
He pointed out that 'the idea of establishing an archaeological museum in Najaf was presented to the Minister of Tourism and the Antiquities Authority, with the allocation of land for this project,' noting that 'all Iraqi provinces have an archaeological heritage that deserves to be displayed and documented.'
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