Over 1.8 million tourists visited capital Erbil in last eight months: Official

Compared to previous years, the Region has witnessed a “remarkable increase” in its tourism traffic, according to the officials.
An aerial view shows the citadel of Arbil, the capital of the northern Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region, Dec. 13, 2021. (Photo: Safin Hamed/AFP)
An aerial view shows the citadel of Arbil, the capital of the northern Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region, Dec. 13, 2021. (Photo: Safin Hamed/AFP)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region’s capital Erbil has hosted over 1.8 million tourists in the last eight months, a tourism official told Kurdistan 24.

Visiting the resorts and tourist destinations in Erbil province, the visitors came from both inside Iraq – central and southern provinces – as well as outside the country, Ismael Mina Khan, the head of the capita’s tourism office, told Kurdistan 24 on Thursday.

Over 1,800,000 tourists visited the province through the Region’s borders in the last eight months, he said.

Compared to previous years, the Region has witnessed a “remarkable increase” in its tourism traffic, according to the official.

In addition to holiday periods, the scorching summer heat forces thousands of domestic tourists across Iraq to visit the resort areas in the northern Kurdish region, known for its mountainous areas and relatively cool temperatures.

The capital is home to some of the ancient sites of the country, including the Erbil citadel, which is listed as one of the world heritage sites by the United Nations' cultural and educational agency, UNESCO.

Tourism officials have proposed plans to further boost the sector, through which the Kurdish region seeks to slash reliance on hydrocarbon sales. Per an eight-year-long scheme, the Region aims to attract 20 million tourists annually.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has recently allocated 11.5 billion IQD (over 7.8 million USD) to develop the areas around Delal Bridge in Zakho, which is one of the Regin’s touristic areas.

Read More: A big project will transform tourism around Zakho’s Delal Bridge