WATCH: Number of tourists booming in Zakho, calling for better roads

ZAKHO, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Zakho is one of the many cities in the Kurdistan Region where people visit tourist destinations in the area, but some are complaining about the bad roads.

Hundreds of thousands of travelers from southern Iraq visit the Kurdistan Region annually to avoid Iraq’s scorching summer weather as temperatures usually pass 50 degrees Celsius by midday.

The Kashane resort in Zakho, which is located on the Kurdistan Region border with Turkey, is one of the most astonishing and crowded tourist destinations.

However, many people visiting complain often about the quality of the roads to the resort.

“It is a very beautiful place, but the roads and services are very bad,” Abdullah Salih, an Arab tourist from southern Iraq told Kurdistan 24.

Previously, tourists were prevented from visiting the Kashane resort due to the presence of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Turkish bombardment on the group’s bases.

The area is now safe as the PKK recently withdrew its fighter.

People now call on the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to improve the infrastructure of the tourism locations.

Chiya Amin, the director of tourism in Zakho, explained to Kurdistan 24 that a budget had been recently allocated for the city to improve the tourist destinations in the area.

“Improving infrastructure and services in Zakho’s tourism destinations will attract more tourists,” Amin said.

There are over 20 tourist destinations in Zakho where services and infrastructure are below the satisfied level.

According to officials in the city, the presence of the PKK and bombardment by Turkish airstrikes prevented the KRG from providing more public services in the area.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany