Shafaq News- Halabja

Halabja, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, expects to receive more than one million tourists this year, supported by preparations to further develop the province's tourism services, the Tourism Directorate said on Tuesday.

Horaman Jalal, spokesperson for the directorate, told Shafaq News that achieving those projections depends on continued security stability and the regular payment of salaries to public sector employees in the Kurdistan Region.

The province has more than 250 tourism facilities, including hotels, motels, restaurants, cafés, resorts, and tourist cabins, all prepared to receive visitors throughout the year.

He pointed out that more than 1.017 million tourists visited Halabja last year, with nearly half arriving to attend the province's annual Pomegranate Festival, adding that the directorate expects visitor numbers to increase further this year.

Earlier this year, Iraq's Tourism Authority nominated Byara in Halabja for the United Nations Tourism Organization's Best Tourism Villages 2026 initiative, part of a national bid that also includes Rawanduz in Erbil, Hiror in Duhok, Merki in Nineveh, and Abu Subat in Dhi Qar.

Read more: Discover Iraq: Halabja- Where land, memory, and resilience intertwine