CULTURAL TOURISM AS A TOOL OF PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN IRAQ AFTER 2003-A STUDY IN POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY

Abstract

This study investigates the contribution of cultural tourism in Iraq as a tool of public diplomacy in the post-2003 era, paying particular attention to its ability to improve Iraq's image and increase the country's soft power in the international arena. In this study, a descriptive and analytical approach was used with a survey among visitors to find out the effect of cultural and religious tourism in creating positive perceptions and mutual understanding among people, besides discovering the main problems facing this industry . It can be concluded from the results of this study that the political and geographical importance of cultural tourism in Iraq since 2003 has played a very important role in the development of public diplomacy and building a positive national image. According to the survey results, 54.7% of the participants believe that cultural tourism is influential in improving Iraq's image. Also, there is a very solid base of cultural tourism in archaeology and Islamic areas (agreement 85-87%). The geographic distribution of cultural heritage in Iraq is in the middle, south, and north of Iraq. Nevertheless, despite the importance of cultural heritage in this country, there is still a gap between its capability and services offered