Thousands of tourists from across Iraq flock to the Kurdistan Region for Eid

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – As the month-long observance of Ramadan came to a close, tourists from across Iraq traveled by the thousands to the Kurdistan Region on Monday and Tuesday to celebrate the holiday of Eid al-Fitr.

“The Kurdistan Board of Tourism has made preparations the Eid holiday as it expects the number of tourists to exceed last year, which was over 250,000 tourists from the rest of the cities in Iraq,” said the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Board of Tourism spokesman Nadr Rosti.

“Security checkpoints will facilitate passage for tourists coming from southern and central Iraq as a part of the program for the Eid al-Fitr holiday,“ he continued at a press conference on Tuesday. “Furthermore, certain hotels and restaurants are going to remain open for the occasion.”

Kurdish officials assured that current protracted political negotiations between parties attempting to form the new regional cabinet will not affect security for the tourists visiting the region which has long been much more stable than the rest of the country. 

Azad Hassan, from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), told the Al-Araby Jadid news website, “Investment sectors in Kurdistan should be kept isolated from any political disputes, as tourism is a critical source of economic income for Kurdistan Region.” 

Editing by John J. Catherine