ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Saturday said that around 8 million tourists visit the Kurdistan Region annually, with the government rapidly developing infrastructure to promote its tourism sector. 

The Kurdistan Region offers over 3,000 resorts and tourist attraction sites, and its beautiful nature and moderate temperatures during the summertime and cozy, snow-capped winter retreats during the colder seasons have become major tourist attractions for people from all over Iraq and abroad. 

“In the tourism sector, the ninth cabinet of the Kurdistan Regional Government has taken important steps and created a strong infrastructure for it,” the KRG said in a statement on World Tourism Day.

“During this period, 80 new tourism projects have been implemented at a cost of over $7.5 billion,” the statement added. 

The KRG aims to attract 20 million tourists per year by 2030. 

In May, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani opened the third Middle East Tourism Exhibition (METEX) in Erbil, a major event aiming to promote tourism in the Region and attract investment in the sector, held with the participation of at least 120 tourism companies from across 20 countries.