Background and Objective: Religious tourism has emerged as a significant driver of regional competitiveness and sustainable urban development in countries endowed with rich religious heritage. Iraq, as one of the most prominent pilgrimage destinations in the Islamic world, possesses substantial religious and cultural assets. However, despite these advantages, the country continues to face critical challenges, including inadequate infrastructure, spatial inequalities, administrative corruption, and managerial inefficiencies, which hinder the transformation of religious tourism potentials into a sustainable competitive advantage. Therefore, this study aims to identify the key driving forces and formulate effective strategies for enhancing Iraq’s regional competitiveness with a particular emphasis on religious tourism through a futures-oriented approach.
Methodology: This study is applied in terms of purpose and adopts a descriptive–analytical approach grounded in futures studies. The study population consisted of university academics, futures studies and tourism experts, executive managers, specialists from the Iraqi Ministry of Tourism, and stakeholders involved in religious tourism. Using purposive and snowball sampling techniques, a panel of 20 experts with at least ten years of professional experience and a master's degree or higher was selected. Data were collected through a cross-impact matrix questionnaire and analyzed using MICMAC structural analysis software..
Results and Findings: The study concludes that the future competitiveness of Iraq’s religious tourism destinations depends on reinforcing institutional capacity, improving governance quality, fostering innovation, and promoting stakeholder collaboration. Accordingly, several strategic initiatives are proposed, including the establishment of a pilgrimage spatial planning office, the creation of a supply-chain financing fund for local businesses, and the development of specialized university–industry intermediary institutions to facilitate knowledge transfer and innovation in the tourism sector.