Baghdad: The Minister of Culture officially handed over the duties of the new head of the Tourism Authority. Acting Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Antiquities, Sarwa Abdul Wahid, officially handed over the duties of the new head of the Tourism Authority, Ammar Salman Obeid, to him on Wednesday, September 9, 2026. Obeid succeeds Engineer Nasser Ghanem Murad.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the handover ceremony took place in the Minister’s office, where she affirmed her support for the Authority’s work and the Ministry’s commitment to empowering it to fulfill its role in developing the tourism sector and enhancing institutional performance.

Abdul Wahid also called for the development of future plans for the Authority and for exploring ways to strengthen coordination and cooperation with the Ministry to contribute to the implementation of programs and strategies aimed at advancing and developing the tourism sector.

For his part, Ammar Salman Obeid expressed his gratitude to the Minister, emphasizing his commitment to exerting maximum effort to improve the Authority’s work and implement plans and directives in line with the Ministry’s objectives and aspirations for developing the tourism sector.