Shafaq News- Al-Anbar
Al-Habbaniyah Tourist City is set to undergo majordevelopment over the coming years to restore one of the country's mostprominent leisure destinations, the city's director told Shafaq News on Monday.
Moayad Al-Mashouh said the current infrastructure canaccommodate visitors after the restoration of 100 housing units inside theresort, adding that work is in progress to renovate the city's private andwooden cabins, with completion expected by the end of the year.
Several projects are underway, including the construction ofa large events hall, a water park, swimming pools, and other recreationalfacilities. Al-Mashouh noted that the resort was awarded to an investor in 2011and that the Ministry of Tourism has now formed a committee to follow up on theinvestment file.
“The site’s biggest challenge is that declining water levelsover the past four years have reduced visitor numbers over the past fouryears.” Recent water releases have improved conditions, but the resort dependsheavily on stable water levels to sustain tourism. He estimated thatAl-Habbaniyah Lake requires at least one billion cubic meters of continuouswater releases to restore tourism activity, while about 3.5 billion cubicmeters would be needed to return the lake to its previous level.
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According to al-Mashouh, the resort receives around 5,000families during the Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha holidays, in addition toregular visitors during weekend breaks.
Economic analyst Ahmed Al-Karbouli told Shafaq News thatreviving this destination could boost Al-Anbar's economy and provide Iraq withan important source of non-oil revenue. He said the project would revitalizehotels, restaurants, local markets, transport, and service sectors, createhundreds of jobs, and encourage private investment in tourism andentertainment.
"The resort enjoys strong tourism potential because ofits location near Baghdad and the Middle Euphrates provinces, as well asAl-Habbaniyah Lake."
Located in western Iraq's Al-Anbar Province between Fallujahand Ramadi, Al-Habbaniyah Tourist City covers about 701 square kilometers. Thesite also includes residential complexes, a military base, and an airport. Following the conflict with ISIS, it also served as a shelter for about 60,000displaced people, or nearly 12,000 families, from Fallujah.