ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Halabja has welcomed over 100,000 tourists on the four days of the Eid al-Adha, the province’s tourism directorate said on Tuesday.

The Kurdistan Region has been home to hundreds of thousands of tourists, who celebrated the Islamic holiday with friends and family in a multitude of resorts and at breathtaking sites of natural beauty that the Region has to offer tourists coming from across Iraq and further afield.

The Kurdistan Region has seen an influx of hundreds of thousands of tourists from Iraq and further afield over the Islamic holiday, with visitors staying in myriad resorts and lodges and marveling at the Region's breathtaking natural beauty.

Halabja alone, with its variety in nature, from the lush green landscapes in Nawroly to the fruit-rich tropical woodlands of Hawraman and the high-set Chawg resort that overlooks the city, has “welcomed over 100,000 tourists and visitors” during the days of Eid, Halabja’s tourism directorate told The New Region.

Ibrahim Abdulmajid, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Region’s tourism board, told The New Region on Monday that, before Eid, they projected around 300,000 tourists would visit the Region to mark the Islamic holiday, but noted that the actual figure will now be “much higher."

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has put a lot of emphasis on the tourism sector in recent years and aims to attract 20 million tourists per year by 2030.

In May, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani personally 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.

The Kurdistan Region offers over 2,500 resorts and tourist attraction sites. The Region’s beautiful nature, moderate temperatures during the summertime and cozy, snow-capped wintery retreats during the colder seasons have become major attractions for tourists from all over Iraq and beyond.