Kurdistan Region's nature and snow attracts thousands of tourists for New Year's holiday

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Thousands of tourists continue to arrive in the Kurdistan Region ahead of the New Year's celebrations to enjoy the nature and attractions available in the autonomous region. 

The tourists have been arriving in the Kurdistan Region for the past 10 days, visiting its tourist attractions and mountains covered in snow, while central and southern parts of Iraq experience insecurity and turmoil due to nationwide protests.

Abdulah Alyas, the owner of a tourism company, thanked the security personnel at the checkpoints for facilitating the entry process at the Kurdistan Region border.

“We have brought approximately 2,000 individuals daily from Basra and other southern cities to the Kurdistan Region for the last 15 days,” Alyas told Kurdistan 24.

Nadir Rosti, a spokesperson for the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Board of Tourism, said all preparations had been made “to facilitate the entry of tourists to the Kurdistan Region.”

“Furthermore, [border personnel] are distributing pamphlets on regulations and tourist attraction sites in the Kurdistan Region to the incoming tourists,” Rosti told Kurdistan 24.   

According to data from the Board of Tourism, Iraqi visitors are the highest number of tourists who visit the Kurdistan Region with Iranians in second. The rest are foreigners from Europe, Asia, and North America.

Sara and Farah, a pair of tourists visiting the Kurdistan Region, said they come to the region often. “We are here to spend the New Year’s holiday and see the nature of the region as well,” they told Kurdistan 24. 

The Kurdistan Region is known for being safe, having cooler temperatures, and plenty of tourist destinations among its rich natural landscape. The KRG has also taken a series of measures to facilitate the tourists’ procedures when entering Kurdistan, including permanently removing the entrance fee.

Despite being in a region surrounded by war and instability, the autonomous Kurdistan Region is a popular tourist destination for many people from Iraqi provinces and other cities in the Middle East due to its safety and religious tolerance.

In the past few years, the KRG has looked to boost the agriculture and tourism sectors in Kurdistan as a means to diversify the region’s sources of revenue.  

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany

(Additional reporting by Renas Ali)