Nearly 700,000 tourists visited Kurdistan Region during Eid al-Adha

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Nearly 700,000 tourists have visited the tourist attractions of the Kurdistan Region during the Eid al-Adha holiday, according to a statement from the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Ministry of Municipalities and Tourism.

From June 26 to July 1, 689,889 tourists were registered in the tourist destinations of the Kurdistan Region. The tourists mostly hail domestically from the Kurdistan Region, south and central Iraq, per the statement.

The KRG Tourism Board, in consultation with the relevant parties of the government and private sector investors, has recently sought to improve the tourism infrastructure of the Region to increase annual visitors.

Previously, Ibrahim Abdulmajid, spokesperson for the KRG’s General Board of Tourism, told Kurdistan 24 that more than 300,000 total tourists are expected to visit the tourist destinations of the Kurdistan Region during the holiday.

More than six million tourists visited the Kurdistan Region in 2022.

In addition to the holiday season, thousands of domestic tourists from across Iraq visit the northern Kurdistan Region, known for its mountain resorts and relatively cool temperatures, to escape the scorching hot summers in southern Iraq.

The KRG has proposed plans to further boost the tourism sector as an alternative to its overreliance on hydrocarbon revenues. The plan includes an eight-year plan to attract 20 million tourists annually.

The government launched an electronic visa application system earlier this year in a bid to facilitate investment and tourist traffic into the Region.