Tourism Sector Draws Nearly 35% of Kurdistan Region’s Total Investment Over Seven Years

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The tourism sector has emerged as the leading destination for investment in the Kurdistan Region over the past seven years, accounting for nearly 35% of total investment and reinforcing the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) strategy to diversify the economy beyond oil revenues.

According to figures released by the KRG’s Board of Investment, more than $22 billion has been invested across multiple sectors in the Kurdistan Region during the last seven years. Of that amount, tourism attracted the largest share, receiving approximately $7.68 billion in investments—representing 34.78% of the region’s total investment portfolio.

Authorities said local and foreign investors have launched 100 tourism projects covering more than 1,000 hectares of land across the Kurdistan Region, reflecting growing confidence in the sector’s long-term potential.

Among the largest planned initiatives is the Senk National Park project, a major national tourism, cultural, and environmentally focused development being prepared under a master plan by the KRG.

The project is planned across 1,500 hectares in the Senk highlands near Erbil, situated at the intersection of the Pirmam–Koya and Erbil–Koya roads, around 15 kilometers north of the capital.

Officials said the project will include eight major zones designed to combine tourism, environmental preservation, culture, recreation, and economic development.

One section will serve as a safari zone for the protection and observation of wild and domesticated animals and birds in a natural setting. Another area will feature a model cultural village replicating traditional Kurdish village life from a century ago, to preserve Kurdish heritage, folklore, and cultural traditions.

Additional sections of the project will include dams, ponds, lakes, rivers, restaurants, accommodation facilities, and safari-style tourism activities. Other designated areas will focus on agriculture, livestock, horticulture, sports activities, and a mixed-use tourism and residential city.

The KRG has simultaneously intensified infrastructure development efforts to support tourism expansion, including large-scale investments in dams, ponds, and transportation networks.

Over the last seven years, authorities have completed 23 ponds, while construction continues on 58 additional ponds. In total, the Kurdistan Region now contains 97 ponds alongside four major dams.

Speaking to Kurdistan24, Sirwan Tawfiq, Director of Marketing at the Kurdistan Region Tourism Board, said the government has developed a comprehensive strategy to establish tourist cabins near dams and recreational areas to improve visitor access and promote domestic tourism.

Tawfiq noted that abundant rainfall this year, combined with the construction of dams and ponds across various areas, has significantly enhanced the Kurdistan Region’s natural scenery and contributed to an increase in tourist arrivals.

He added that the Tourism Board is implementing a long-term strategic plan extending through 2030, approved by the Council of Ministers, focusing on improving service quality, strengthening human resources, and expanding tourism infrastructure.

Tawfiq highlighted the Gomaspan Dam project as an example of infrastructure that simultaneously supports water preservation and tourism development.

Road construction has also played a major role in boosting the sector, according to tourism officials. Tawfiq said modern transportation networks built during the ninth cabinet have improved accessibility and contributed to rising tourist numbers.

Government data showed that 2,681 kilometers of roads have been completed over the past seven years with a budget exceeding one trillion Iraqi dinars, while an additional 2,445 kilometers of roads remain under construction.