Kurdistan’s Akre draws over 88,000 tourists for Nowruz festivities
Shafaq News/ Akre, a city in Iraq’s Duhok province, welcomed over 88,000 tourists during Nowruz celebrations, marking a sharp rise in foreign visitors, Tourism Directorate chief Amin Salim announced Friday.
Salim told Shafaq News that visitors came from neighboring Iran, Turkiye, and Syria, as well as the United States, Canada, Europe, and Africa. He attributed the surge to the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) annual outreach to accredited consulates, which has helped attract more international travelers.
Tourist numbers climbed from 75,000 last year, bolstered by the KRG’s designation of Akre as the official capital of Nowruz celebrations in Kurdistan, reinforcing its status as a cultural and tourism hub.
Salim noted that the influx has provided a significant boost to tourism and trade, benefiting the local economy and residents.
Located in northeastern Duhok, Akre is the heart of Nowruz festivities in Kurdistan, drawing thousands of Kurds from across Iraq and beyond for the traditional fire-lighting ceremony.
Nowruz, the first day of the Kurdish solar year, falls on March 21 in the Gregorian calendar. Celebrated for millennia, it symbolizes renewal and freedom and holds deep national and cultural significance for the Kurdish people.
