Duhok hotels union warns unlicensed tourist farms must be addressed within six months

DUHOK, Iraq — The head of the Duhok Hotels, Motels and Tourist Restaurants Union has given authorities four to six months to resolve the issue of unlicensed tourist farms operating in the province, warning that all hotels and motels in the city will be shut down if no action is taken. Union chief Ihsan Isa said the union is not seeking the immediate closure of the farms but wants the law applied to unlicensed operators offering accommodation to tourists. Isa spoke after a meeting with Duhok's director general of tourism attended by hotel operators, where sector problems were discussed. The Tourism Directorate pledged to follow up on the demands raised during the meeting. The union says private farms with houses, gardens and swimming pools in and around Duhok city and surrounding villages are being rented to tourists during holidays and vacation periods, cutting into hotel occupancy rates. Isa said the sector provides jobs for more than 12,000 to 13,000 people and warned that the unlicensed rentals are causing serious damage to hotel operators and threatening the sector's future.