Thu, Nov 28, 2013
The Kurdistan International Tourism Conference was held in Erbil last week, paving the way for the city’s position as Middle East Tourism Capital of 2014.
“I would like to convey the wishes of the Iraqi government to the region on your success in getting Erbil selected as the 2014 Capital of Arab Tourism,” said the federal Minister for Tourism and Archaeology, Liwaa Smaisim. The Minister also praised the rapid progress of Erbil’s tourism sector, noting that the number of visitors steadily increases year after year.
The Governor of Erbil, Nawzad Hadi, thanked Minister Smaisim and his ministry for their assistance in securing the award, saying, “The Kurdistan Regional Government has allocated $20 million for this project and the people of Erbil are very proud to have their city selected as the capital of tourism. We are sure that this will provide an opportunity for Kurdistan as well as a Iraq as a whole to be looked at a in a more positive light by the international community.”
Travel experts and companies from around the world attended the event; as well as officials from the federal Iraqi government and members of the international community. Among the attendees were the Minister of Trade and Industry, Sinan Celebi, Dr. Bandar Bin Fahd Al Fahid, the heads the Arab Tourism Organization, members of the diplomatic community in Kurdistan and officials from the public and private sector.
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