Tourist Numbers Climb As Kurdistan‘s Reputation Grows

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The number of tourists visiting the Kurdistan Region has risen by 30 percent and among them are more Europeans and Americans, according to data from the Board of Tourism.

It said the goal is to attract more foreign tourists by offering greater facilities to tourism companies.

The data show that more than 2.2 million tourists visited the Kurdistan Region last year and approximately the same number arrived during the first eight months of this year.

In the past, Arabs from other parts of Iraq were the only tourists who could be seen in the resorts of Kurdistan. But now, more Westerners are also seen.

“This region is constantly changing in terms of buildings and economy, I see changes every time I visit Kurdistan,” said James Patrick, a 26-year-old European who believes that Kurdistan is set to replace Dubai within five years.

According to data by the Association of Tourist Companies, 224 travel agencies have been registered in Kurdistan, where local agencies dominate.

Association manager Rebwar Azad told Rudaw that, “Only five foreign travel agencies from Europe, the United States and the Middle East organize tours to the Kurdistan Region.” Only 1,000 tourists come annually from those parts of the world, he added.

While the Kurdistan Region is relatively stable and peaceful, compared to the rest of Iraq, this is not often understood by outsiders, who see the Kurdistan Region as just another part of violence-torn Iraq.

According to foreign tourists who have visited the Kurdistan Region, they learned about Kurdistan’s safety through friends, media, and advertisements. That encouraged them to decide to spend their vacation in Kurdistan, without real safety concerns.

“In 2007, I saw some video clips advertising a number of tourist destinations, among them the Kurdistan Region,” said Patrick.  The ad made him search for more information and he discovered it was safe to visit, he added.

According to estimates, tourists spent some $665 million in Kurdistan in 2012, with average per head spending at about $300 per stay. The hotels and restaurants have been the main beneficiaries. 

Rogero Guanella, an Italian tourist who was preparing to return home after a hotel stay in Erbil, said he had caught the Kurdistan bug:  “I came here for the first time during spring and the green cover of the mountains was really fascinating. I am very eager to come again.”

The suicide attacks on the Intelligence Service (Asayish) headquarters in the Kurdistan Region in September appear to have had little impact on the tourism industry.

“I heard about the explosions before I traveled to Kurdistan, but it did not make me change my travel plans,” said John Lawrence, a Canadian tourist in Kurdistan.

Nadir Rusti, spokesman of the Board of Tourism, said that an international tourism conference this week will discuss ways of facilitating travel arrangements for foreign visitors. 

The Kurdistan Region is the most stable and peaceful part of Iraq. It has its own government, parliament and constitution as well as an independent security and policy force.