ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Visa-free travel and the weakness of Iran’s currency against the Iraqi dinar has made Iran a popular destination for holidaying Kurds this Eid al-Adha. “The toman is cheap,” holidaymaker Zirak Ali told Rudaw as he queued at passport control at the Haji Omaran border crossing, Erbil province. “We can go to Iran and its northern part for only $200.” Between Tuesday and Saturday, almost 20,000 people from the Iraqi Kurdistan Region visited Iran through Haji Omaran border crossing, border officials said. On Friday alone, 5,300 people crossed into Iran. This is a significant rise on previous years. Since the border crossing was established in 2008, tourists crossing from the Kurdistan Region into Iran never surpassed 3,500 per day. “I am going to Iran for a good time during Eid as the toman is cheap,” Razwan Anwar, another holidaymaker, told Rudaw. Iran’s currency has tanked since the US withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and re-imposed sanctions. Iran has taken several measures to try and stabilize the currency, including new taxes on travelers to stop citizens spending dollars abroad. The measures have led to a considerable drop in the number of Iranians visiting the Kurdistan Region. In the first ten days of August, around 35,000 people from the Kurdistan Region crossed into Iran through Haji Omaran. During this same period, just 9,500 Iranians crossed into the Kurdistan Region, according to Haji Omaran passport control officials. Just as Iran’s economy hit the rocks, the Iraqi Kurdistan Region rebounded from years of financial crisis, reviving the tourism sector. Iran has lifted visa fees for Iraqi passport holders to lure them visit the country and spend money. If the spike in traffic at Haji Omaran is anything to go by, the policy has proven a success. Currency seems to be the number one driver, however. Iraq’s lifting of visa fees for Iranians has not translated into the same spike in visitors. With additional reporting by Bakhtyar Qadir
