Lebanon: Iraqi tourists provide unlikely boost for failing economy

There are other reasons too. Many Iraqis used to visit neighbouring Turkey. But in July, a picnic site in northern Iraq was hit by artillery shells, killing eight tourists. Turkey denied any involvement, but some people changed their holiday plans in anger, like Ahmed Saleh. “After the bombing, I don’t feel secure going to Turkey because we’re never assured what the next step is if an escalation with the Iraqi government were to happen in the future.”