The Kurdistan Region’s board of tourism on Friday stated that 145,000 tourists visited the autonomous region during the first two days of the Eid al-Fitr holiday.

The board, in its statement, mentioned that in the coming days, they would provide the complete number of tourists who visited the Kurdistan Region during Eid.

On Thursday evening, an ethnically Arab tourist drowned in Dukan Lake despite repeated warnings by local authorities regarding swimming in the area, a police source told Kurdistan 24.

Most tourists who visit the Kurdistan Region come from the central and southern provinces of Iraq, while others come from Iran and other countries.

The autonomous Kurdish Region has rich historical sites, plenty of tourist destinations, and provides security as well as warm hospitality. Additionally, its geographical location and environment ensure the region stands out from the rest of the country.

Over the past few years, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has looked for ways to diversify its revenue stream with a focus on the tourism sector.

In 2018, the Kurdistan Region recorded a 47 percent increase in the number of tourists compared to the year before, Newroz Mawlood, the KRG’s Kurdistan Region’s Minister of Municipalities and Tourism, previously told reporters.

“The number of tourists visiting the Kurdistan Region in 2018 reached 3,057,000,” Mawlood said.

The number is also expected to increase in 2019 as the Kurdish tourism board aims to boost the sector by taking proper measures to attract visitors and facilitate travel.