Eight-year plan aims to attract 20 million tourists annually: Kurdistan Region Tourism Body

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Head of the Tourism Body in the Kurdistan Region, Amal Jalal, on Saturday announced a long-term plan to develop tourism, aiming to attract more than 20 million tourists annually.

During a press conference, Jalal said that "more than two million tourists entered the region during the first four months of this year," adding that "it is expected that more than 6 million tourists will enter the region during the current year."

She explained that "the parameters of the plan will appear clearly during the next two years if all the requirements for infrastructure and administrative facilities are provided.” She expressed a desire to reduce taxes and fees to attract more tourists, as the Kurdistan region has relatively high prices compared to neighboring countries.  

The head of the Kurdistan Tourism Body indicated that "it is planned that each province will have its tourism projects that are different from other provinces, to attract tourists to all the areas of the region."

Relatedly, the Tourism Directorate of Halabja province announced that "more than five thousand tourists have visited the province,” noting that “a solid plan has been drawn up to receive tourists in cooperation with joint committees in the municipality and the governorate."

In a statement, the Halabja directorate revealed that the province "received more than 5,000 tourists (only Friday alone), most of whom are from the central and southern provinces.”

The Halabja Tourism Directorate also said it had “put up signs for the prices of umbrellas, car garages and tourist areas to prevent price manipulation."

The Kurdistan Region’s four provinces regularly host thousands of tourists from other parts of Iraq as they escape from the scorching summer heat. Other times of the year have also seen a steady increase in tourism.