Over 60,000 tourists celebrated Newroz in Erbil

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - More than 60,000 tourists visited Erbil for Newroz, the Kurdish new year, the governor’s office announced on Friday. 

“61,000 tourists visited Erbil province over ten days,” read the governor’s statement. 

The Kurdistan Region is keen to develop its tourism sector and the governor’s office said it had formed a committee to ensure that attractions were open and all services were available to visitors over the holiday. 

Over six million tourists visited Kurdistan Region last year, the majority coming from central and southern Iraq. 

With its relatively more moderate temperature in comparison to the rest of the country and beautiful nature, the Kurdistan Region’s tourism is an important, developing sector. It took a blow due to coronavirus-related measures in 2020, but is rebounding.