3,100 tourism centers located in Kurdistan Region, says senior KRG official

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Amal Jalal Muhammad, Chairwoman of the General Board of Tourism, announced in a press conference on Monday that there are 3,100 tourism centers in the Kurdistan Region.

The Chairwoman also said that there are 80,000 tourist accommodations in the region.

"In the four years of the KRG Ninth Cabinet, the priority was given to tourism projects, as more than 42.88% of the capital has been invested in over 55 tourism projects. This includes an investment of $7.4 billion in tourism in the Kurdistan Region,” Ms. Muhammad noted.

Moreover, she added that in 2023, tourism revenue experienced a notable 17% increase as compared to 2019.

Despite hurdles such as the war on ISIS and the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kurdistan Region’s tourism industry has continued to expand, with six million tourists visiting in 2022. In 2023, there were seven million tourists recorded, equaling a 16% increase from the previous year.

The KRG, as part of its Ninth Cabinet's agenda, has emphasized the importance of tourism as an alternative to diversifying its reliance on hydrocarbon revenues. The plan includes an 8-year-long strategy to attract 20 million tourists annually.

Editing by Dastan Muwaffaq