VOA标准英语2008年-Northern Iraq's Kurdish Region Seeks Tourists

Iraq's northern Kurdish region offers security and stability that is hard to find elsewhere in the country. It also offers historic sites, high-end hotels, amusement parks, and striking mountains and valleys. VOA's Suzanne Presto¹ reports on the region's fledgling tourism sector² from the regional capital of Irbil.
　
A mountain lake in Kurdistan

The Minister of Tourism for northern Iraq's largely autonomous³ Kurdish region, Nimrud Baito Youkhana, says there is plenty for tourists to see in what is known as the cradle of civilization.

"Each civilization has left its touch on the region," said Youkhana. "For example, Irbil Citadel⁴, like Khanes Heritage, like Shanidar cave ..."

In addition to the few sites he mentioned - the world's oldest continuously inhabited settlement, an irrigation system from about 700 years B.C., and the site where anthropologists found remains⁵ of Neanderthal man - the minister says the region's natural beauty is also a draw. He says he would like to see a resort built in the region's spectacular mountain ranges to draw skiers to its snowy peaks.

He says Kurdistan has an abundance of attractions. But what Kurdistan does not yet have is an abundance of tourists.

Youkhana says the government's focus, until recently, has been on providing basic necessities.

"Tourism is not one of the priorities of the region you know because the priorities until now are the electricity, water, roads," he said.

Youkhana says business and political delegations⁶ often travel to the region and visit some of the historic and natural sites. But the ministry⁷ does not yet have any statistics on strictly⁸ pleasure tourists - if the region even has many pleasure tourists at all.

But government officials are trying to change that.

Youkhana says his ministry was established two years ago, reflecting the region's new efforts to create a reputation as a vacation spot.

He says Kurdish tourism is an industry that needs to be built from the ground up.

"There were no maps. We tried to print maps. There was no brochures for the people. There were no guidebooks," he said. "We are working now on it very hard."
　
Waterfall at Bekhal

The Kurdistan Regional Government's Board of Investment says there are multiple tourism projects underway, with investment coming from national and foreign sources, as well as joint⁹ ventures.

"In the tourism we have very good progress and good achievement on that," said Herish Muharam Muhamad, the Board's chairman.

According to statistics provided by the Board of Investment, as of May 31, 16 out of the 105 licensed¹⁰ projects are solely¹¹ for tourism, amounting to about $2.5 billion in capital.

That is about nine times the capital of the Board's investment projects in Kurdistan's education sector. Only the housing sector and the combination tourism-housing sector are attracting more investment.

Minister Youkhana welcomes investors¹²' interest.

"Tourism is multi-purpose. There is entertainment. There is health. There is sport tourism. There is religion tourism," he said. "So we have to work hard on most of these directions."

Youkhana says money - or lack of it - is an issue for his ministry. He says it appeals to the government for funding on a project-by-project basis.

"There is no good budget from the government for the tourism now for this year, and maybe for the next year, too," Youkhana said.

He says another challenge is changing people's perceptions of Kurdistan, a goal that is hampered¹³ by travel warnings issued by foreign governments.

For example, the U.S. State Department "strongly" warns citizens from traveling to Iraq - and that includes the Kurdish region. But, Kurdistan does not have the military and sectarian strife¹⁴ that is evident in other parts of Iraq, and Kurdistan has its own regional government and military force.

Douglas Layton, from the United States, moved to Kurdistan in the early 1990s. He is the owner and director of The Other Iraq Tours, which organizes trips for business and political delegations.

He says his organization has lobbied to have the U.S. travel warning changed.

"We think it is a very unjust warning, and we have made that point to a number of politicians," he said. "It was made to Vice¹⁵ President Dick Cheney when he visited here."

Kurdistan's tourism minister says he hopes delegations that visit Kurdistan will press their governments to differentiate¹⁶ between war-torn Iraq and Kurdistan.

Warnings aside, a group of U.S. tourists ventured to Kurdistan last month - becoming the first U.S. tour group and only the second group ever - to travel to the region.

Tourist Marge Busch praised Kurdistan's mountain ranges, ancient structures, and the warmth of the Kurdish people. But she said it was something that Kurdistan lacks that actually added to its charms.

"I would hope that this never gets real touristy," she said. "It has been refreshing¹⁷ to be here and see these things without a ton of tourists running all over you."

Because if there is one thing tourists do not want to see, it is a slew¹⁸ of other tourists.

 

1 presto   

adv.急速地；n.急板乐段；adj.急板的

参考例句：

• With something so important,you can't just wave a wand and presto!在这么重大的问题上，你想挥动一下指挥棒，转眼就变过来,办不到！
• I just turned the piece of wire in the lock and hey presto,the door opened.我把金属丝伸到锁孔里一拧，嘿，那门就开了。

2 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

3 autonomous   

adj.自治的；独立的

参考例句：

• They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
• This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。

4 citadel   

n.城堡；堡垒；避难所

参考例句：

• The citadel was solid.城堡是坚固的。
• This citadel is built on high ground for protecting the city.这座城堡建于高处是为保护城市。

5 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

6 delegations   

n.代表团( delegation的名词复数 )；委托，委派

参考例句：

• In the past 15 years, China has sent 280 women delegations abroad. 十五年来，中国共派280批妇女代表团出访。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• The Sun Ray decision follows the federal pattern of tolerating broad delegations but insisting on safeguards. “阳光”案的判决仿效联邦容许广泛授权的做法，但又坚持保护措施。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

7 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

8 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

9 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

10 licensed   

adj.得到许可的v.许可，颁发执照(license的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The new drug has not yet been licensed in the US. 这种新药尚未在美国获得许可。
• Is that gun licensed? 那支枪有持枪执照吗？

11 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

12 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

13 hampered   

妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions. 恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• So thought every harassed, hampered, respectable boy in St. Petersburg. 圣彼德堡镇的那些受折磨、受拘束的体面孩子们个个都是这么想的。

14 strife   

n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争

参考例句：

• We do not intend to be drawn into the internal strife.我们不想卷入内乱之中。
• Money is a major cause of strife in many marriages.金钱是造成很多婚姻不和的一个主要原因。

15 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

16 differentiate   

vi.(between)区分；vt.区别；使不同

参考例句：

• You can differentiate between the houses by the shape of their chimneys.你可以凭借烟囱形状的不同来区分这两幢房子。
• He never learned to differentiate between good and evil.他从未学会分辨善恶。

17 refreshing   

adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的

参考例句：

• I find it'so refreshing to work with young people in this department.我发现和这一部门的青年一起工作令人精神振奋。
• The water was cold and wonderfully refreshing.水很涼，特别解乏提神。

18 slew   

v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多

参考例句：

• He slewed the car against the side of the building.他的车滑到了大楼的一侧，抵住了。
• They dealt with a slew of other issues.他们处理了大量的其他问题。