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Iraq: a significant decline in the number of Iranian pilgrims, after the deterioration of the exchange rate of the riyal against the dinar
Posted 16/02/2012 01:28 AM
Najaf - Fadhil Rashad *
Is no longer the Najaf International Airport witnessed the movement of aviation active with Iran as it was in the past, arriving all Iranians to the city began to decline gradually in the last few weeks, so that the hotel in the city seemed to free the Iranians after the low exchange rate of Iranian rial against the Iraqi dinar, called merchants and owners of hotels and tourism companies to stop dealing and by stipulating to deal in Iraqi dinars, or the dollar.
Experts say that the holy cities in Iraq, which relies on tourism in its economy of religion, will lose a lot more stressed sanctions on Iran and the lower the level of its currency, which will reduce the number of visitors coming from Iran. The economist said Laith satiation «life», said that visitor numbers will drop the Iranians to very low levels will affect negatively the tourism sector that depend on it Najaf and Karbala significantly ».
The head of the «Najaf Chamber of Commerce» Zuhair drink, that «the Iranian travel agencies dealing with specific, and that the economy will be affected negatively Najaf with the decline in the arrival of delegations from Iran». He pointed out that «95 percent of the visitors to the holy shrines in Iraq come from Iran».
Called the Association of Hotels in Najaf to look for alternatives and openness to other Muslim communities worldwide. The head of the Association Homa that «the city's hotels have been affected negatively, down the number of Iranian visitors, pointing to the need to search for alternatives and to facilitate the arrival of delegations from other Islamic countries, rather than relying on the delegation of Iran».
The head of the Economic Committee in «the provincial council in Karbala» Tariq Kikhany that January (January) last saw a big drop in the number of visitors who traveled to Iran for the performance of Karbala to visit the holy sites, due to declining value of the riyal against the dinar. He explained in a press statement that the two thousand Iranian visited Karbala last month, while the number was higher than in the past five thousand visitors per month.
He called on the Iraqi government to exempt Iranian visitors from visa fees to encourage religious tourism, explaining that these form the backbone of the economy in Karbala and Najaf. And flock to Najaf six thousand visitors a day, stay 10 days, during which they visit religious sites in Najaf and Karbala, Baghdad and Samarra.
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