Hotel closures and job losses
Duhok tourism industry faces winter blues
DUHOK — A decline in tourist arrivals to Duhok this winter has led to the closure of over 80 hotels and motels, leaving nearly 750 people jobless.
Duhok governorate is home to approximately 250 hotels, motels, and tourist facilities.
Speaking to 964media on condition of anonymity, a hotel owner in Duhok reported his hotel has been shut for two months due to the inability to pay staff salaries.
Sheikh Ihsan, head of the Hotel and Motel Association in Duhok province, informed 964media that, during the winter season alone, 68 hotels and motels in Duhok City, along with about 20 in the surrounding areas, have ceased operations.
The dwindling number of tourists visiting during the winter months is cited as the main cause for these shutdowns.
Winter tourist numbers have been falling year over year. Association data revealed that during the New Year holiday week from Dec. 25 to Dec. 31, 2023, around one thousand tourists lodged in Duhok’s hotels and motels, marking a 50% decrease from previous years.
The Duhok General Directorate of Tourism reported that in 2023, around 2.4 million tourists visited Duhok’s tourist attractions.
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