Two million tourists visited Erbil in 2021, official says
"We expect to attract more tourists next year."
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Erbil's General Directorate of Tourism announced on Saturday the province had welcomed close to two million tourists throughout 2021.
"The number will likely exceed two million with the New Year holidays," Erbil Tourism Director-General Ismail Minakhan told Kurdistan 24.
The statistics indicate the tourism sector in Erbil is recovering after it nearly ground to a halt in 2020 at the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. As infections have slowed down and as vaccines against the highly contagious disease have become available, visits have increased.
The official affirmed the local government would continue to improve the tourism sector and services provided to visitors. "We expect to attract more tourists next year," he added.
Most tourists who visit the Kurdistan Region come from the central and southern provinces of Iraq, while others travel from Iran and other countries.
The Kurdistan Region has multiple rich historical sites and plenty of tourist destinations. Additionally, its geography and sparsely populated expanses ensure that it stands out starkly from the rest of the Middle East.
In the past few years, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has launched various efforts to boost the tourism and agriculture sectors to diversify the region's sources of revenue.
