ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Approximately "60 percent" of hotels and restaurants across Iraq have been forced to close following the weeks-long war of the United States and Israel against Iran, a tourism association said on Sunday, warning of a direct blow to the country's economy.
“The tourism and hotel sector in Iraq has entered an unprecedented downturn due to airport closures and the suspension of travel, directly impacting occupancy rates and revenues,” said Daoud Shammo, head of the Al-Rafidain Association for Tourism Promotion, during a conference on the state of the sector and potential solutions.
Shammo added that the downturn in tourism has left the sector “facing a real challenge,” warning that it has led to the collapse of a “large number of tourism facilities,” disrupted religious tourism, and dealt a direct blow to the economy.
The tourism sector's downturn comes after the country closed its airspace on February 28, following the launch of a large-scale United States and Israeli military campaign against Iran. In response, Tehran and allied armed groups have carried out drone and missile attacks targeting US and Israeli-linked sites across the region.
The shutdown of Iraq’s airspace forced travelers onto land routes, halting a key international transit corridor until it reopened 40 days later, following the announcement of a fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran.