ABCI Iraq 2035
Turning Iraq’s religious, cultural, archaeological and natural assets into a broader visitor economy.
ABCI analytical perspective. Milestones and structural directions below are research propositions, not official forecasts or commitments.
A visitor economy connects heritage with services, local enterprise and employment. Sustainable development should protect the assets that attract visitors while improving access, experience and the ability of local businesses to participate.
UNESCO lists six World Heritage Sites and fifteen sites on Iraq’s Tentative List in the source register. Tentative status is not World Heritage inscription, and site counts do not measure visitor spending, occupancy or tourism employment.
The presence of cultural assets does not establish a complete visitor offer. Analysis needs evidence on access, accommodation, visitor services, conservation, seasonality and spending, with different forms of tourism considered separately.
Assess destination management, heritage protection, trained service providers, visitor information and local supply networks. Commercial development should be compatible with conservation and community participation.
By 2030, assess whether selected destinations show better visitor services, conservation management and measurable local economic participation. Visitor volume alone is not a sufficient measure of success.
The direction is a broader, higher-quality visitor economy rooted in Iraq’s religious, cultural, archaeological and natural assets. No visitor-volume or revenue forecast is asserted without supporting evidence.
Webpage snapshot · 30 September 2026
Counts of listed sites on the UNESCO country page at the stated snapshot date; not a measure of visitor activity.
Webpage snapshot · 30 September 2026
Counts of listed sites on the UNESCO country page at the stated snapshot date; not a measure of visitor activity.
SOURCE REGISTER
The register identifies each linked publication or data series. Indicator cards retain measurement periods and definitions. An absent publication or check date is shown explicitly; the edition date is not a substitute.
Linked publication / page; edition number not stated
Published: date not established
Independent check: 2026-09-30
ABCI · BAGHDAD, IRAQ
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