Kurdistan to attract over 200,000 tourists during Eid

The Kurdistan Region is expected to receive some 200,000 tourists over the upcoming Eid al-Adha holiday, a Kurdish official told Kurdistan 24 on Monday.

“The Directorates [of Tourism] have been told to be present at tourist destinations on Eid [al-Adha] to welcome visitors and address any shortcomings in the services provided,” said Nadir Rosti, the spokesperson for the Board of Tourism.

A few days ahead of the Islamic “Festival of Sacrifice,” set to be held on Tuesday, Iraqi and Kurdistan Region officials reopened the Kirkuk-Erbil road as the newly-built temporary bridge, replacing the one in Altun Kupri (Pirde) that was destroyed last October, was finalized over the weekend.

“The reopening of the Erbil-Kirkuk road will certainly affect the numbers of travelers to the Erbil province,” Rosti said.

The Board has “predicted that the number of tourists will be even higher compared to last year when over 213,000 visited the Kurdistan Region,” Rosti added.

Even with the closed road, over 76 thousand Arabs and foreign citizens visited the region on the first day of Newroz, the Kurdish New Year’s celebration. During the Islamic Eid al-Fitr, celebrated in June, the province of Sulaimani alone welcomed nearly 140,000 tourists from different parts of the country over the span of nine days.

The country’s summer heat, which reaches up to 50⁰ Celsius mid-day, encourage people to travel to cooler areas and family-friendly tourist destinations in the northern semi-autonomous region. Especially attractive to travelers are resorts in the Kurdistan Region, boasting beautiful natural landscape and affordable activities.

One of the more scenic tourist destinations in the Kurdistan Region’s eastern town of Choman. The Board has also “coordinated with the private sector to better organize the reception of tourists,” Rosti added. In June, Rosti said that with the region’s increased security and stability, they foresee receiving larger numbers of visitors every month to the Kurdish provinces. “We plan to receive five million tourists annually, with the number rising to seven million in 2025,” reported kurdistan24.