The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) aims to attract 20 million tourists annually by 2030. While destinations like Dubai and Riyadh continue to attract the bulk of tourists to the region, Erbil is emerging as a quieter but promising alternative with the potential to become the Middle East’s next tourism hub.
To highlight this goal, the third Middle East Tourism Expo (METEX 2025) was held in Erbil earlier this year, from May 6-8, showcasing the growth of the Kurdistan Region’s tourism sector.
“Boosting the tourism sector will increase job opportunities and encourage more people to engage in private sector careers. Many people who are currently unemployed could find work thanks to the growth of tourism,” KRG Prime Minister Barzani said during the opening speech of METEX.
“In the past, most of our efforts have focused on introducing Kurdistan’s national identity abroad, but we have often had to talk about the tragedies our people have endured. Although we have gone through very difficult times, Kurdistan has much more to show the world,” he added.
Despite these ambitious goals, challenges remain in developing the Kurdistan Region as a new tourism hub in the Middle East.
Narrative change
Changing how the world perceives Kurdistan remains one such challenge. Douglas Layton, Founder and CEO of Explore Mesopotamia – one of the region’s only internationally registered tour companies – published Kurdistan’s first guidebook a decade ago.
“I recently conducted a survey of hundreds of people, mostly Americans, but some Dutch, some French, and others. I asked them all the same question: what’s the first word that comes to your mind when I say Iraq? It’s the first time in my life that I got the same answer 100% of the time, and the answer was war,” he told Kurdistan Chronicle.
“If you want to change that picture, you’ve got to change the narrative. This is a history zone, not a war zone. This is a cradle of civilization zone. And in order to do that, you have to launch a massive public relations campaign starting in the United States, because of course they’re number one in luxury and adventure travel tourists in the world. Germany is up there as well, but the United States is still number one.”
“If you stop a foreigner skiing down Halgurd Mountain and ask them, ‘What’s the first word that comes to your mind?’ They would say, ‘amazing,’ ‘beautiful,’ and ‘an incredible place to ski.’ This is the message that we’ve got to take to the world.”
Travel advice
Another challenge is that many Western countries issue official travel advisories against visiting Iraq that affect the Kurdistan Region, even though it is considered safer than the rest of Iraq.
“The challenge is that Kurdistan is viewed as part of Iraq, which makes some international tourists hesitant to visit,” Nariman Gardi, spokesperson for the Erbil General Tourism Directorate, explained.
“However, during all the exhibitions, meetings, and events, we report that Kurdistan is safe for every tourist. An indicator of that is the fact that the number of tourists increases each year. Especially in the past few months, we have had more international tourist groups visiting Kurdistan. We have had groups visiting from Italy, Spain, and Greece, and they continue to visit.”
According to the Kurdistan Region Tourism Board, more than 7 million tourists visited the region in 2023.
According to the UN World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism), the Middle East was the only global region to fully recover from the Covid-19 pandemic’s impact on tourism by 2023 and to exceed 2019 levels by 20%.
UN Tourism said this was facilitated by visa facilitation measures, the development of new destinations, investments in new tourism-related projects, and the hosting of large events. The KRG also introduced an online visa portal last year.
The KRG has invested in 80 tourism projects, including 3,000 facilities, 480 hotels, 282 motels, 44 resorts, 20 tourist villages, around 1,000 restaurants and fast-food outlets, roughly 700 cafes, and 28 amusement parks.
Ibrahim Abdul-Majid, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Region’s Tourism Board, confirmed that the number of international tourists has been increasing significantly over the past few years.
“Before 2020, international tourists made up around 15-18% of the total. Today, this share has risen to about 25%. These visitors are considered international arrivals. The main reason for the increase in foreign tourists is investment in the sector. During the KRG Ninth Cabinet, total investment has exceeded $7.5 billion in five years.”
Direct flights
Direct air connections are a cornerstone of Erbil’s tourism ambitions. Mohaned Mir, the commercial director for Fly Erbil Airlines, told Kurdistan Chronicle that they want to show everyone that although Kurdistan is part of Iraq, it is safe to visit. “If you look at the crime records shared by the police in 2024, it’s amazing – such low crime rates are rare even in very secure European cities. We are advising everyone to visit us.
”Fly Erbil has served more than 750,000 passengers in the last two years, amounting to over 35% of the total operations happening at Erbil International Airport.
Mir noted that there are two main types of travelers coming to Erbil. “We have many Kurdish people living in Europe and traveling back to visit their relatives, making this the largest segment of travelers.
“The smaller segment consists of tourists. As a destination, Erbil has potential for growth in tourism, and we are actively promoting it. From Doha to Dubai, Riyadh to Amman, cities across the Middle East are competing to become leading travel and tourism hubs – and Erbil aims to be among them,” he said.
Mir added that there are tourists from southern Iraq, Iran, Egypt, and other Middle Eastern countries, but tourists from Europe are more limited and they are working to attract them.
Halmat Kestai, spokesperson for Visit Kurdistan, a private initiative working to promote the Kurdistan region internationally, told Kurdistan Chronicle that this is why Visit Kurdistan works closely with the government and the private sector to help build the infrastructure necessary for a thriving tourism industry.
These initiatives range “from digital services and visitor information to transportation and accommodation. Our efforts also include initiatives like the souvenir kiosk network across Erbil, which supports small businesses while offering tourists authentic local experiences,” he said.
Rich heritage and natural beauty
The Kurdistan Region has also attracted international archaeologists, and sites like Shanidar Cave – featured in a recent Netflix documentary – hold potential for future tourism.
Prime Minister Barzani also highlighted Erbil Citadel, one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited sites at 6,000 years old, and noted the ongoing discoveries at surrounding archaeological sites made by international research teams.
In November, CNN reported that Iraqi tourism is growing most quickly in Kurdistan, highlighting that the company Untamed Borders now also offers ski trips in the region. Furthermore, the newly established 215-kilometer Zagros Mountain Cultural Trail aims to attract both local and international hikers.
“The Kurdistan Region is where untouched mountain landscapes meet ancient archaeological sites, and where communities of different ethnicities and religions have lived together for generations,” Kestai added. “This makes Kurdistan not only an emerging destination, but also a deeply meaningful one for travelers looking for authenticity, adventure, and connection.”
