Recently, the sports tourism sector has grown in many countries. At this time, in many parts of the world, including our neighboring countries, they are working on building a sports culture as a first step to attract both domestic and foreign tourists. They are organizing sporting events for people and participants, which undoubtedly requires continuous effort and a solid roadmap.
Sports tourism is one of the most important types of tourism in the world. It is also a means of promoting tourist destinations. In Kurdistan, there are many tourist areas that can be designated as sports tourism areas and attract tourists. For example, Mount Korek, which retains snow even in summer, can be utilized by people, especially foreign tourists for skiing.
We can intensify our efforts in the Kurdistan Region by taking advantage of the enchanting nature of the area and the presence of human resources, both of which are key factors in advancing sports tourism and raising the economic infrastructure of our region.
Mount Korek is known for its beautiful and challenging nature. A lot of snow falls on the mountain annually, and many areas of the mountain are suitable for snow sports. In recent decades until today, Europe has been the world leader in sports tourism, and economic growth in the region is on the rise. They haven’t stopped there; they continue to explore ways to utilize the geography and nature of the area day after day.
According to unofficial statistics, a large number of tourists come to Mount Korek from other countries annually for skiing, in addition to the telegraph and several tourist areas that have been opened there.
The main goal should be to work towards increasing sports tourism by finding and knowing the ways that make sports tourists more likely to come to the Kurdistan Region. Improving sports infrastructure such as building special skiing routes and opening special indoor skiing halls, for which Mount Korek’s location is suitable, and the government should strive to improve transportation in general, hotels and guesthouses, cafeterias and restaurants, and facilitate sports commerce.