The streets of Erbil are adorned with festive lights and decorations, as the Kurdistan Region’s capital prepares to welcome thousands of tourists for New Year celebrations

The Kurdistan Region’s tourism industry has become a booming sector in recent years. The beautiful nature and moderate temperatures during the summertime, and cozy, snowcapped wintery retreats during the colder seasons have become major attractions for tourists from all over Iraq.

Around 200,000 tourists visited the Kurdistan Region provinces for 2024 New Year celebrations, and the Region’s tourism board recently stated that they expect that number to increase even further this years.

The Kurdistan Regional Government aims to attract 20 million tourists per year by 2030.