Sun, sand and.................wrecks!!

Holiday in Iraq for sun, sand ... and burnt-out tanks

Postcard from Iraq. Click on the picture to enlarge it

Burnt-out tanks and spent shells should become tourist attractions in Iraq, according to extraordinary proposals in a taxpayer-funded report.

The Government dossier suggests drumming up foreign visitors by placing battlefield debris at strategic points around the country and transforming northern areas into upmarket ski resorts.

The £80,000 report was commissioned in 2004 to examine ways Iraq could be opened up to tourists after the fall of Saddam Hussein.

With the monthly death toll topping 3,000 and most Westerners confined to guarded compounds, the ten-page report - released under the Freedom of Information Act - now seems hopelessly optimistic.

Among nine sites it lists as potential tourist attractions are the Jewish quarter in Basra - now a hotbed of anti-British insurgency. The Shatt Al Arab waterway, identified as the location of the Garden of Eden, is also mentioned.

But the most extraordinary section, under the heading War Tourism, reads: "This would involve pre- sentation of the country's recent history and, while there is a distinct need to improve the country's general environment, it may be necessary and indeed beneficial to place battlefield debris strategically, such that it can be enjoyed by those groups wishing to see for themselves the location of recent battles."

The option of a ski resort is also discussed under the heading Scenic Tourism. It reads: "The mountains of the northern area are extremely attractive and could form the basis for an additional element of the country's industry. Perhaps after a relevant assessment, skiing could even be considered."

The report, entitled Sector Mapping Report: Tourism And Culture, drawn up by British consultancy firm Scott Wilson, was passed to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, the body responsible for governing the country before its own government came into force.

The plans are now being considered by the Iraqi Interim Ministers for Tourism and Culture.

In January last year, Conservative MP John Hayes asked Hilary Benn, the International Development Secretary, how much aid had been provided in support of heritage protection in Iraq and what form the aid had taken.

Mr Benn said in his parliamentary reply: "The Department for International Development spent £80,000 to fund a Culture and Tourism adviser to work with the Coalition Provisional Authority in southern Iraq from January to May 2004.

"The adviser took forward projects to protect archaeological sites and re-establish traditional festivals. He also produced a sector report on tourism and culture."