Kurdistan Region seeks to attract more tourists for snow season

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Region’s tourism board is seeking to attract more tourists for the upcoming snow season by holding various activities in areas that experience significant snowfall, a board official told Rudaw on Wednesday.  

“Our plan is to develop the tourism sector. The Kurdistan Region has now passed the tourism season,” Ibrahim Abdulmajid, media head of the Kurdistan Region’s tourism board, told Rudaw, adding that “a lot of tourists” have in recent years visited hotspots in autumn and winter. 

Abdulmajid added that they are preparing to hold several festivals and tourist activities in the snow season this year. 

“The places where it snows a lot are visited by many tourists. Therefore, we have prepared to conduct various snow activities this year in Korek Mountain and Hassan Beg Mountain in Soran, as well as in Duhok and Sulaimani province’s Penjwen,” he said. 

The bulk of holidaymakers visiting the Kurdistan Region for tourism come from the southern and central provinces of Iraq, with the remaining tourists coming from countries outside of Iraq.

Based on data from the tourism board, the past year witnessed over six million tourists.

With its relatively moderate temperature in comparison to the rest of the country and its tremendous nature it has, the Kurdistan Region’s tourism has been a booming sector in recent years.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) plans to attract 20 million tourists per year by 2030.