Iraqi Arabs seek vacation escape in Kurdistan
SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq (AP) — Iraqi Arabs looking for a break from five years of war and sectarian strife — or just the heartland's heat and dust — are finding one in the green, tranquil mountains of Kurdistan.
More than 23,000 Iraqis headed north to the autonomous Kurdistan region this summer, up from just 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.
The organized tours are made possible by improved security in recent months, though roads remain treacherous and visitors are stopped at a string of roadblocks for ID checks before reaching their vacation getaways.
The budding tourist trade is helping to soften some of the hard feelings between Iraq's Kurdish minority and Arab majority.
The two share a bloody history, particularly Saddam Hussein's brutal repression of the Kurds and establishment of their U.S.-protected self-ruled region in 1991.
Iraq's Kurdistan, about the size of Switzerland and home to nearly 3.8 million people, is perhaps the only destination for Iraqis thirsting for a little normalcy.
Arab countries, trying to keep out Iraq's troubles, grant few visas, while Europe and the U.S. are too expensive for most. Iran is more welcoming, but largely attracts Shiite pilgrims.
Now, with large numbers of Iraqi Arabs trekking north for vacation, more and more ordinary people are getting to know each other in a peaceful setting.
Full story: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gMUhoQd2_t9C0kiQhVxXswpR3AwgD92OQPCO3
