At the start of the year an Australian tourist board advertised “the best job in the world” promoting a tropical island: a task so simple that it merely required someone to live there for six months and write of the experience.

Hammoud al-Yaqoubi occupies almost the exact opposite position in the tourism industry. He is the chairman of Iraq’s tourism board and this week he is coming to Britain to promote his nation as a suitable place for sightseeing.

He was due yesterday at the World Travel Market, a tourism fair attended by nearly 50,000 travel industry professionals from around the world, but even getting to London to begin his promotional duties has proved tricky.

Last night he was stranded in the Jordanian capital, Amman, waiting for his British visa. “I regret to inform you that I haven’t received it yet,” he said. “We have been waiting for seven days. We are hopeful that it will arrive tomorrow.”

A certain amount of optimism is required in Mr al-Yaqoubi’s line of work. “We have the infrastructure for tourism in Iraq,” he said. “We are optimistic about turning the tourism industry into a success.”

It has improved a great deal since 2005, when officials in Basra offered tourists a “70 to 80 per cent chance you will be okay”.

Mr al-Yaqoubi pointed out that a group of Russians left the country on Sunday after a ten-day tour in which none suffered injury. “Thank God, not one tourist in the tour groups that we organise has encountered any problems to date,” he said.

Granted, there have not been that many Western tourists. Though thousands of religious tourists, often from Iran, visit each month, only between 80 and 100 have visited from Europe this year. About 50 have arrived from Taiwan.

“We will ensure the security of tourists from the airport and back to the airport, and ensure that there will be no problems,” said Mr al-Yaqoubi, describing security as only a “minor problem”.

It is not quite minor enough to open the country to independent travellers. The tourist board’s media spokesman, Hasan al-Fayadh, an equally optimistic gentleman who has worked in Iraq’s tourism industry since the 1970s, said: “We do prefer that people don’t come alone for their own safety.”

The tourism board would begin looking for travel agents from around the world to bring groups to visit Iraq when they arrived in London, he said.

When asked what sort of people they were hoping would visit, he replied: “Foreigners.” Then he added: “From Europe and America.”

The message gained a sceptical reception at the trade fair yesterday. Nasser Aref Zaatarah, head of Zaatarah & Co, which offers tours across the Middle East, has organised trade delegations to Baghdad.

“There’s no direct flights,” he said. “It’s hard to get insurance. When you get there you can’t move around.

“You can’t go shopping or sightseeing. I don’t think this is the correct time to promote it as a tourist destination.”

Tim Moore, managing director of Toursmart, an online travel magazine, felt that Iraq would need at least two or three years without “people still being blown up” before it could be sold in Britain as a place to visit.

The country’s borders are far from secure, and calamities can easily happen to people without proper guides.

Back in Amman, Mr al-Fayadh dismissed reports of instability within his country. “These television stations, some of them are not presenting a neutral image,” he said. “They are trying to make propaganda against the Iraqi Government.”

There was one tour operator at yesterday’s fair who was planning to take British holidaymakers to Iraq. Geoffrey Hann, head of Hinterland Travel, has been leading tours of Iraq for 30 years, and was in charge of that first group of eight adventurous souls who toured Iraq in March. He has already taken bookings for several trips next year.

“It is mostly old people,” he said. “They just want to see a country they have not been allowed to get to.”

Places to stay

International Hotel, Erbil Splashing fountains, live music in the garden, all the great and good of Iraqi Kurdistan gather here

Joint Visitors’ Bureau, Baghdad One of Saddam Hussein’s 81 palaces, now incorporated into the US Camp Victory near Baghdad international airport. The American Army uses it to house celebrities and politicians

Rashid Hotel, Baghdad In the green zone, a hub for meetings. Nice gardens and a good shop

As Safir, Kerbala Newly opened this year by a Baghdad investor who saw ever more tourists coming to the Shia Muslim site. Green marble walls and good chandeliers

Al-Jiyan, Dohuk Dohuk is up in the cool mountains of Kurdistan. A five-star hotel has a great view of sunrise over the mountains

Things to eat

Mazgouf Exiled Iraqis the world over go misty-eyed when talking about eating traditional mazgouf in Baghdad. River carp is split and barbecued with mint, garlic and tomatoes

Samoon Fluffy diamond-shaped Iraqi bread, served with pretty much everything

Tea First thing in the morning, last thing at night and everywhere in between. Basra has a delicious version made with smoked lemons

Turkish delight Kirkuk has a surprisingly fun market on a bridge over the river. There are pink-garlanded stalls selling sticky pink Turkish delight

Pomegranates It is now pomegranate season. The pomegranate orchards in Halabja in Kurdistan are beautiful all year

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