Babylon records an increase in the number of foreign tourists 

Baghdad-INA 

Babil Governorate announced the allocation of 100 billion dinars from the 2023 budget to rehabilitate the tourist resort in the governorate, while confirming the increase in the number of foreign tourists to archaeological sites. 

The media director of Babil Governorate, Mustafa Al-Husseini, told the Iraqi News Agency (INA): "The governorate includes more than 53 shrines for the prophets and companions and is frequented by visitors from various governorates and Islamic countries. The governorate is also distinguished by its archaeological sites, which are considered an attraction for foreign tourists from different countries of the world." .

He added, "Companies and missions from the United Nations are still present in the ancient city of Babylon to excavate this city, as is the case in the city (Kish), which is still continuing excavations by foreign teams and UNESCO."

He explained, "The Babylon resort is a tourist facility belonging to the provincial office, and inside this facility there is a palace of the previous regime, and the local government is trying to restore it, to be an archaeological museum," noting that "the province of Babylon obtained the allocation of 100 billion dinars to rehabilitate the resort within the 2023 budget." ".

And he pointed out, “There is a law that was enacted in 2019 and voted on by the House of Representatives, which is that Babylon is the capital of civilization, and it was scheduled to allocate sums of about 250 billion to it, but so far the governorate has not obtained this amount, despite the presence of claims from members House of Representatives, local government and UNESCO to rehabilitate Babylon.

And he indicated that “the province of Babylon did not receive any financial allocations for the establishment of resorts and tourist facilities, and that the collection operations for tickets in archaeological sites go to the authority affiliated to it, which is the Ministry of Culture or the Ministry of Finance, and as for the money that is obtained from the tourist resort of Babylon, all its money goes to the Ministry of Finance.

He pointed out, "The number of tourists to recreational and archaeological areas ranges from 2,000 to 3,000 visitors on Friday and Saturday, and these numbers rise on holidays and events, ranging from 6,000 to 7,000 visitors," noting that "at the level of foreign tourists, their numbers are in The days of carnivals and festivals range from 1,000 to 1,500 foreign tourists.