Kurdistan
People carry torches on the Akre Hill as part of the Newroz celebrations in Duhok on March 20, 2019. Photo: Bilind T. Abdulla /Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Hundreds of thousands of tourists have traveled to different cities in the Kurdistan Region over the past two weeks, with thousands more expected to arrive in the next few days for Newroz celebrations, according to Erbil’s tourism directorate.
Over 450,000 tourists have visited the Kurdish capital of Erbil since the start of 2022, Head of Erbil Tourism Directorate Ismail Minakhan told Rudaw on Thursday, with over 100,000 of those tourists arriving since the beginning of March.
The Kurdistan Region traditionally receives large numbers of tourists from outside the Region every year around the beginning of spring, with Newroz celebrations being the primary attraction for the foreign visitors.
“We’re expecting over 100 to 150 thousand more tourists to visit Erbil on the days of Newroz,” Minakhan added.
Another province that is often a desirable destination for tourists, especially from central and southern Iraq, is Sulaimani. The Kurdistan Region’s “city of culture” has received 250,000 visitors in the past two months, according to the Sulaimani tourism directorate.
“There’s no confirmed data as of yet, as tourists continue to pour in,” Aram Shwani, a spokesperson for the Sulaimani Tourism Directorate told Rudaw on Thursday, adding “In the past two days, 25,000tourists have visited Sulaimani for Newroz.”
The town of Akre in Duhok is considered the Kurdish capital of Newroz. Every year, hundreds of people bearing torches climb the mountain overlooking the town and light a bonfire. Similar fires are ignited across Kurdish areas in Syria, Turkey, Iraq, and Iran, signs of victory over evil the night before the first day of spring.
The province of Duhok has received over 130,000 tourists in the months of January and February, according to Khairi Ali, the head of Duhok Tourism Directorate, adding that they’re expecting around 3,000 visitors per day during the days of Newroz.
On Wednesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi announced Sunday March 20 and Monday March 21 to be official holidays in celebration of the Kurdish new year.
Over four million tourists visited the Kurdistan Region’s provinces in 2021, with the capital city of Erbil receiving the lion’s share.
More than 75,000 tourists from Iraq’s southern and central provinces visited Kurdistan Region’s capital city of Erbil to celebrate the start of the 2022 New Year.
By Chenar Chalak
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