The Tourism Authority of the Kurdistan Regional Government
announced on Monday that the past months have witnessed an influx in the
numbers of tourists to the region, pointing out that revenues obtained from
tourism during that period exceeded 140 billion dinars ($117 million).
Mouloud Jabbar, head of the Tourism Authority, said that there
were of record number of tourists this year compared to previous years. He
added that the first six months of 2018 saw 1.3 million tourists to the region,
mostly from central and southern Iraq, pointing out that roughly 350,000
tourists visited the region just during the Eid al-Adha vacation.
Revenues from tourism during the first half of the year
amounted to 140 billion dinars, he revealed.
Jabbar added that the first four months of 2018 also
witnessed an influx of Iranian tourists; however, after the Iranian authorities
imposed taxes on its citizens traveling abroad, the number of Iranian tourists
to the region decreased significantly.
He pointed out that tourists from other countries are also
visiting the region, but their numbers are few.
In terms of providing employment opportunities, Jabbar
explained that tourism provides thousands of opportunities in the region,
especially in remote areas, adding that tourism also has an impact on markets
in other sectors, including agriculture.
