Basra hotels achieve highest numbers in 20 years
People walk along the Shatt al-Arab river waterfront in Basra. Photo: Reuters
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Iraq succeeded in hosting the 25th Gulf Cup in the southern city of Basra where the tourism sector achieved records because of the big number of football fans visiting the city to attend the championship.
The 25th Gulf Cup began with an opening ceremony that many described as ‘dazzling,’ as it included historical shows reflecting the successive civilizations on the land of Mesopotamia, and artistic shows that included advanced technologies such as ‘holograms.’
The Iraqi authorities revealed that the number of visitors arrived in Basra during the first two days of the championship reached 34 thousand.
The 25th Gulf Cup championship had a positive impact on the tourism sector and the occupancy rate in the city’s hotels.
“The tourist traffic in the city and the full hotel occupancy rate have not been seen in Basra since 2003. The hotels recorded an enormous turnout of visitors and rooms were completely filled before the beginning of the Gulf Cup championship,” an Iraqi official in the tourism sector in Basra told Sky News Arabia.
The strong return of the tourist traffic after 20 years, based on the Gulf Cup championship, will have a positive impact on restoring the tourist status of the city of Basra, especially with the geographical characteristics it has, such as its location on the Shatt Al-Arab, and its proximity to the Gulf states.