ERBIL, Kurdistan Regoin - Approximately 200,000 tourists from Iraq’s central and southern provinces visited the Kurdistan Region during the three-day Islamic Eid al-Fitr holiday, according to official figures.
Sunday marked the first day of the Islamic holiday, during which Muslims visit one another and seek forgiveness. Many see the public holiday as an opportunity to travel, and a large number of people from federal Iraq view the Kurdistan Region as a top tourism destination due to its proximity, lower costs compared to traveling abroad, and its relatively moderate temperatures in comparison to the rest of the country.
Nearly 200,000 tourists from Iraq’s central and southern provinces arrived in the Kurdistan Region, according to data Rudaw obtained late Tuesday from checkpoints connecting Erbil, Sulaimani, and Duhok provinces to federally-controlled areas. The capital Erbil received the lion’s share of visitors.
Ahmed Haider, a university student from Tikrit, told Rudaw on Tuesday that he spends most holidays in the Kurdistan Region.
He noted that while paperwork at the key checkpoint between Mosul and Erbil has eased, he blamed the lack of cooperation from tourists for his four-hour wait there.
“Their [Kurdish authorities] service is very good, and they respect people. Those in charge here [in the Kurdistan Region] do their work properly, but we tourists are not well-organized. We all rush in randomly, which is why congestions occur,” Haider said.
In the days leading up to Muslim holiday, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) instructed all checkpoints to facilitate procedures for tourists, expected in large numbers in the following days. Any tourist can obtain a security clearance, known as a residence card, in less than two minutes, allowing them to travel within the Kurdistan Region for up to three months.
Ibrahim Wazah works for a company which on Tuesday brought more than 600 tourists into the Kurdistan Region on board 15 buses.
“This year, the facilitation at checkpoints has been better than previous years, but as you know, large crowds create obstacles,” he told Rudaw.
Mustafa Gorran contributed to this article.
