ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Lebanon is looking to expand its ties with the Kurdistan Region in the tourism field based on shared interests.
“With the return of activity to Kurdistan, we will return to work on tourism links between Lebanon and Kurdistan, and this is easy because we have the same cultural background and the convergence of customs and traditions," Lebanese Tourism Minister Avedis Guidanian told Rudaw in an interview on Monday.
Guidanian pointed to a visit last year with KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and Minister of Tourism and Municipalities Newroz Mawlood Amin.
At the time, Barzani pointed out that despite the KRG Peshmerga's contributions to the ISIS conflict in Iraq, foreign investors had confidence in KRG policies and stability.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared ISIS defeated in Iraq in December 2017.
Flights between the Kurdistan Region and Lebanon resumed in March after a six-month halt imposed by Baghdad following Kurdistan's independence referendum and federal control at airports and of the disputed or Kurdistani areas.
Spring and summer is the height of the tourism season in the Kurdistan Region with its mountains, waterfalls, and rivers.
The diversity of the Kurdistan Region provides no shortage of historical sites.
Lebanon equally is an attractive Middle Eastern destination with a diverse populace, urban nightlife, historical sites, seaboards and beaches.
Erbil held a three-day tourism exhibition in May 2017. Kurdish officials have planned to spend up to $100 million in the coming years to revive and develop an industry that could deliver long-term profits.
Although it is a Kurdish city, and the capital of the Kurdistan Region, Erbil was named Arab Tourism Capital in 2014.
Related: Could Kurdistan’s mineral waters be a destination for natural medicine?
“With the return of activity to Kurdistan, we will return to work on tourism links between Lebanon and Kurdistan, and this is easy because we have the same cultural background and the convergence of customs and traditions," Lebanese Tourism Minister Avedis Guidanian told Rudaw in an interview on Monday.
He is expecting tourism to pick up between Erbil and Beirut because Lebanon is more stable than it was at the start of the Syrian uprisings in 2011.
Guidanian pointed to a visit last year with KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and Minister of Tourism and Municipalities Newroz Mawlood Amin.
At the time, Barzani pointed out that despite the KRG Peshmerga's contributions to the ISIS conflict in Iraq, foreign investors had confidence in KRG policies and stability.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared ISIS defeated in Iraq in December 2017.
Flights between the Kurdistan Region and Lebanon resumed in March after a six-month halt imposed by Baghdad following Kurdistan's independence referendum and federal control at airports and of the disputed or Kurdistani areas.
Spring and summer is the height of the tourism season in the Kurdistan Region with its mountains, waterfalls, and rivers.
The diversity of the Kurdistan Region provides no shortage of historical sites.
Lebanon equally is an attractive Middle Eastern destination with a diverse populace, urban nightlife, historical sites, seaboards and beaches.
Erbil held a three-day tourism exhibition in May 2017. Kurdish officials have planned to spend up to $100 million in the coming years to revive and develop an industry that could deliver long-term profits.
Although it is a Kurdish city, and the capital of the Kurdistan Region, Erbil was named Arab Tourism Capital in 2014.
Related: Could Kurdistan’s mineral waters be a destination for natural medicine?
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment