Managing cultural tourism in post-conflict areas: the Kurdistan Federal Region, Iraq

Braim, Kadhim; McCabe, Scott; Rickly, Jillian M.; Gadi, Mohamed

Abstract

Conflict and post-conflict areas often suffer several challenges regarding tourism development owing to poor infrastructure, low investment, a lack of appropriate tourism management planning, and poor implementation mechanisms. Much research has been undertaken regarding cultural tourism management issues, challenges and sustainability, yet there is a lack of knowledge on how post-conflict issues affect cultural tourism planning and management. The aim of this paper is to understand the challenges posed in post-conflict regions, for cultural tourism development and to propose solutions and recommendations for successful, competitive and sustainable cultural tourism sectors. The context for the research is the Kurdistan Federal Region (KFR) in Iraq. The study revealed several challenges facing cultural tourism in KFR. The paper reports data from a series of focus groups conducted with residents and tourists, and a number of in-depth interviews with tourism policymakers and experts in KFR.

Citation

Braim, K., McCabe, S., Rickly, J. M., & Gadi, M. (2017). Managing cultural tourism in post-conflict areas: the Kurdistan Federal Region, Iraq. Tourism Today: The Journal of the College of Tourism and Hotel Management, 111-130

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 1, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Dec 31, 2017
• Publication Date: Dec 31, 2017
• Deposit Date: Oct 2, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 31, 2017
• Journal: Tourism Today
• Print ISSN: 1450-0906
• Electronic ISSN: 1450-0906
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Issue: 16
• Pages: 111-130
• Keywords: Cultural Tourism Policy; Cultural Tourism Development; Tourism Development; Tourism Destination Image; Post Conflict; Kurdistan Federal Region
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/902420
• Publisher URL: https://www.cabdirect.org/cabdirect/abstract/20173306080
• Related Public URLs: https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/79301e_4c63ba96590c4a2f9b5b33129dadb49a.pdf