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Tommy Driskill, an American YouTuber, recently took a unique 12-day trip to Baghdad, Iraq. Driskill told CNN Travel that he had heard news about the war in Iraq on television for over a decade, but warnings about travel restrictions in the country sparked his curiosity.
CNN Travel reports that, despite escalating tensions across the Middle East, not only Driskill but many Western tourists continue to visit Iraq through travel companies.
Despite lingering security concerns, the allure of Iraq's ancient cultural heritage acts like a strange magnet, attracting numerous tourists.
Babylon, the legendary city steeped in age-old fairy tales, still bears the traces of a brilliant civilization. Visitors can admire the massive city walls, magnificent gates, and imagine the life of the ancient Babylonians while standing before the famous Hanging Gardens, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
Besides Babylon, Iraq possesses countless other valuable cultural heritage sites such as the ancient city of Nineveh, the tombs of the Assyrian kings, and archaeological sites with thousands of ancient artifacts. Each site has its own unique beauty, telling different stories about a brilliant civilization that once existed.
International travel companies report a surge in demand for trips to Iraq.
Given the aforementioned situation, many governments have advised their citizens against traveling to Iraq for security reasons. According to Times Travel, the US State Department has classified Iraq as a Level 4 country – a no-travel destination – with warnings about threats of terrorism, kidnapping, armed conflict, and civil unrest.
Not only foreign travel companies, but many Iraqis are also actively establishing companies to revive cultural tourism to heritage sites.
The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) also advised citizens against traveling to Iraq, except for the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region in the north – which has its own distinct Kurdish culture and language and has operated largely independently of Baghdad since 2005. For Kurdistan itself, the FCO recommended against traveling there unless absolutely necessary.
In 2021, when the Iraqi government began issuing visas on arrival at Baghdad International Airport to 30 nationalities, including citizens of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, tourism began to flourish.
International travel companies say they are seeing a surge in demand for travel to Iraq. “The trend of going to places like Baghdad, Babylon, and Mosul in Iraq is doubling every year. Two years ago, we did one trip, last year it was two, and this year it’s four,” Robert Kyle Molina, tour director at Lupine Travel, which specializes in lesser-known destinations, told CNN.
