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RAWANDUZ, Kurdistan Region — Tourism sites in the Kurdistan Region have taken a huge hit to their revenues following the coronavirus pandemic.
One resort in Rawanduz, 110 kilometres north of Erbil, usually sees all 120 of its villas booked for Eid ul-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
This year, only 15 have been booked.
"We have lost $600,000 in revenues since Newroz due to corona," said Hamad Amin Hassam, head of Shingelbana resort's administration.
A coronavirus lockdown was in place across the Kurdistan Region from mid-March to mid-May in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19, which has infected 404 people according to figures from the Kurdistan Regional Government.
Popular tourist sites have been emptied under a raft of containment measures, including a ban on inter-provincial travel.
"I am from Shaqlawa. My region is popular with tourists. In my 30 years I have never seen tourism locations like Bekhal, Shaqlawa and Jundiyan as empty as they have have been recently," Darawan Ismael told Rudaw.
Since May 10, tourism spots have been allowed to reopen to receive holidaymakers - but will be closed for Eid ul-Fitr in a 72-hour lockdown.
"We have been preparing for ten days to reopen our place. God willing, many tourists will come to us, said Kamal Abdulla, who owns a restaurant in Soran.
Reporting by Bakhtiyar Qadir
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