Erbil prepares to welcome tourists during al-Fitr Eid

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Authorities in Erbil province have taken several procedures to warmly welcome Iraqi and foreign tourists for the al-Fitr Eid holiday, an official told Kurdistan 24 on Sunday. 

“To ensure that the tourists are warmly welcomed in Erbil, we took several procedures, including sending out teams to ensure that the best services are provided at all restaurants and other tourist sites,” Ismail Minakhan, the General Manager of Erbil Tourism Directorate, told Kurdistan 24 on Sunday. “We will also have teams to watch the food prices at the restaurants and other tourist sites.”

Minakhan said that his office has coordinated with all restaurants in Erbil to make sure they are open during the three-day holiday.

“We formed welcoming teams, and we will have them wait at Erbil’s gates to welcome the tourists coming to Erbil during Eid,” Minakhan said. “Besides providing the needed guidance to the tourists, the welcoming teams will also distribute deserts and cold water to the visitors on their arrival.”

The Kurdistan Region Ministry of Municipalities and Tourism has focused on developing the autonomous region’s tourism sector and encouraging more tourists to visit the Kurdistan Region provinces.

The number of foreign and Iraqi tourists visiting the Kurdistan Region has significantly increased in the past few years and months. 

In the first four months of 2022 alone, 671,146 tourists visited Erbil. Out of this number, 100,000 were foreigners. The rest were Iraqi Arabs visiting from the central and southern provinces.

It is expected that the number of tourists visiting Erbil will significantly increase during the Eid al-Fitr days.