Erbil expecting 60,000 tourists for New Year’s celebrations
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Erbil is expecting around 60,000 tourists to visit the province from all parts of Iraq for New Year’s celebrations, the province’s deputy governor told Rudaw on Wednesday.
“Preparations have been made to welcome tourists, Erbil’s tourist sites can hold up to 45,000 tourists daily, and we predict around 60,000 tourists to arrive from Iraqi provinces for New Year’s Eve,” Hemin Qadir told Rudaw.
The Kurdistan Region is considered Iraq’s main tourism hub, with its moderate summer weather and cold winters, the Region welcomes Iraqi tourists throughout the year.
Sulaimani province is also expecting thousands of tourists for New Year’s celebrations.
According to data provided to Rudaw by Aram Shwani, spokesperson for Sulaimani’s tourism directorate, around 25,000 tourists have already arrived in the province.
“We are expecting that number to double, meaning 50,000 tourists will come, because their arrival is ongoing,” he said.
The press head of the Kurdistan Region’s tourism board earlier this month said that the Region received more tourists in 2022 than it had anticipated.
“Our plan was to boost tourists arriving to six million people, but according to data available, so far over six million tourists have visited the Kurdistan Region,” Ibrahim Abdulmajid said.
Despite suffering due to coronavirus-related measures in 2020, the Region’s tourism has once again boomed.
Abdulmajid in September told Rudaw that around four million tourists had visited the Kurdistan Region in the first seven months of the year, adding that 85 percent of them came from central and southern Iraqi provinces, with the rest being from Iran, Turkey, Europe, and the US.
Last year, the board announced that the Region had received over four million tourists.
“Preparations have been made to welcome tourists, Erbil’s tourist sites can hold up to 45,000 tourists daily, and we predict around 60,000 tourists to arrive from Iraqi provinces for New Year’s Eve,” Hemin Qadir told Rudaw.
The Kurdistan Region is considered Iraq’s main tourism hub, with its moderate summer weather and cold winters, the Region welcomes Iraqi tourists throughout the year.
Sulaimani province is also expecting thousands of tourists for New Year’s celebrations.
According to data provided to Rudaw by Aram Shwani, spokesperson for Sulaimani’s tourism directorate, around 25,000 tourists have already arrived in the province.
“We are expecting that number to double, meaning 50,000 tourists will come, because their arrival is ongoing,” he said.
The press head of the Kurdistan Region’s tourism board earlier this month said that the Region received more tourists in 2022 than it had anticipated.
“Our plan was to boost tourists arriving to six million people, but according to data available, so far over six million tourists have visited the Kurdistan Region,” Ibrahim Abdulmajid said.
Despite suffering due to coronavirus-related measures in 2020, the Region’s tourism has once again boomed.
Abdulmajid in September told Rudaw that around four million tourists had visited the Kurdistan Region in the first seven months of the year, adding that 85 percent of them came from central and southern Iraqi provinces, with the rest being from Iran, Turkey, Europe, and the US.
Last year, the board announced that the Region had received over four million tourists.