Erbil revives tourism with a new plan and doubles visitors

Mustafa Shilani 2021/06/28 08:03

The number of tourists is increasing, especially with the facilitation provided by the security authorities. (Photo: Archive)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Tourism Directorate in Erbil said Sunday that the sector has begun to gradually recover after months of losses incurred by the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions imposed to contain the spread of the virus.

The number of tourists from central and southern Iraq has increased since the Kurdistan Region ended a travel ban between its provinces and Iraqi cities last month.

The Kurdistan Regional Government had banned movement with Iraq amid an uptick in coronavirus infections.

Nariman Fadhil, the director of media for Erbil Tourism, told Kurdistan 24 that about 10,000 people are now visiting tourist sites in the province every day.

He said the number of tourists is increasing daily and the region is preparing to increase the number of staff at security checkpoints to help register the influx of travelers to the capital.

He pointed out that the easing of coronavirus restrictions contributed to the doubling of the number of tourists to Erbil, and more than 900,000 people have visited since the start of the year.

Fadhil added that the tourism directorate is hoping to compensate for the losses caused by the restrictions in 2020 as the Kurdistan Region’s tourism sector was badly affected by the pandemic.