'Showcasing identity'

Kurdistan tourism board urges focus on local music, art

2024-07-30 | 16:22

ERBIL — The Kurdistan Regional Government’s Tourism Board called on local tourism centers Tuesday to embrace Kurdish music and art, urging the replacement of foreign tunes with native sounds and scenes.

Amal Jalal, the head of the Tourism Board, announced the initiative, highlighting the underrepresentation of Kurdish culture in regional tourist attractions. “Music and paintings are pivotal in showcasing the values, culture, and identity of a nation to tourists,” Jalal stated on the board’s official Facebook page.

Jalal underscored the dual role of tourism in Kurdistan: bolstering the economy and enriching visitors’ understanding of the region’s history, culture, and heritage. Over the Eid al-Adha holiday this year, the region attracted more than 300,000 tourists, predominantly from central and southern Iraq, generating approximately $75 million in tourism revenue.

“Authentic Kurdish melodies and rhythms can forge an emotional and spiritual connection with tourists, offering them a memorable experience,” Jalal explained. “Paintings, too, vividly capture our natural landscapes, historical events, and ancient sites.”

Despite these cultural riches, Jalal expressed disappointment that many tourism centers still predominantly feature foreign music, which she believes undermines efforts to preserve and promote Kurdish identity.

The region also saw significant traffic during the Eid Al-Fitr holiday from April 8 to 13, with 200,000 visitors. Ibrahim Abdulmajid, a spokesperson for the board, noted that of these visitors, “70,000 toured Erbil, 61,000 visited Sulaymaniyah, and 30,000 explored Dohuk, with others traveling to various parts of Kurdistan.”

From the start of the year to April 13, tourist sites across the region have drawn roughly 1.7 million visitors, reinforcing the importance of cultural representation in tourism.