Abbas Fadel has been residing in Erbil province’s Choman district for more than two weeks, during which he cleaned the area by himself and set up eight tents to welcome tourist
Fadel launched a business idea consisting in providing a complete touristic package including tenants, food, and camping equipment for the tourists. Most of his clients come from central and southern Iraq and want to see the Kurdistan Region in winter. The groups he guides consist of eight to 10 people who usually stay in the Region for about three days at a time.
“I came up with this idea in 2020, around 4 years ago, and since then, I have been going out [to camp] once or twice a week and I never stopped doing it,” Fadel told Rudaw’s Halabja Sadoon on Monday.
“Every time I went camping with my friends, I would share beautiful photos and activities on my Instagram account, so many of my followers and friends were eager to live this experience," he added.
His goal is to promote stunning touristic spots in Iraq and the Region among foreigners, pointing out that for residents of federal Iraq, traveling to the Kurdistan Region can be a similar experience to that of traveling abroad, with the notable difference of fewer hours of travel and consequently easier logistics.
Omar Bassam, a tourist, praised the nature of the Kurdistan Region, saying that “The views of the Kurdistan Region are beautiful and diverse, as it has valleys, mountains, plains, waterfalls, and green spaces.”
According to Halgurd Mohammed, Choman tourism director, demand for winter tourism has increased in the past two years compared to previous ones, a phenomenon he attributes to the stability of the Region. “Camping in these spots demonstrates the extent of security stability that exists in the Region,” he said.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) plans to attract 20 million tourists annually by 2030.
Millions of tourists from Iraq’s central and southern provinces come to the Kurdistan Region every year.
