Syria
Syrian tourism grows 23%
DAMASCUS - Despite the global financial crisis, Syria saw a 23 percent increase of Arab and European tourists in July compared to the same month last year, showed the latest official statistics released by the Ministry of Tourism.
According to the statistics, Bahrain accounted for 55 percent of the tourists, followed by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
Tourism in Syria has recorded strong growth in recent years. Minister of Tourism Saadallah Agha al-Qalaa told a Brazilian commercial delegation last month that visitors to Syria increased by 9 percent in the first half this year even amidst the international financial crisis, compared to the same period last year.
According to the minister, tourism has accounted for 11 percent of Syria's gross domestic product (GDP) in recent years and Syria is now receiving 5.4 million visitors per year on average.
So far, Syria has tended to attract visitors from other parts of the Middle East, but promotion campaigns by the state and tour operators last year have targeted Asian and European tourists.
One important partner with Syria in the sector is Turkey, and relations between the two countries have grown significantly in recent years.
Turkey and Syria have signed deals to foster bilateral tourism and jointly promote the two countries as tourist destinations abroad, which means Turkish and Syrian operators could sell packages including both countries.
Comments
I have just returned from a holiday in Jordan and Syria and can see why the no. of visitors to Syria are increasing. Damascus is a charming city which is still really authentic, you can still see people making ice cream in the old fashioned way, and visit the vast markets without anyone hassling you to buy anything. People are polite and very friendly and safe. The national museum is a treasure trove waiting to be up-graded. Palmyra is only 4 hours away and definately worth a visit. Finally apart from the atmospheric old city of Damascus, with its array of emerging boutique hotels with stunning internal courtyards and foundations. On the food front, you cannot beat Damascus, there is an excellent choice of fantastic restaurants and some of the best chocolate shops outside of France. I haven't yet made it to Aleppo which is said to be even nicer than Damascus
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