Archive for the ‘Syria’ Category
Syria opens borders to tourists fleeing Lebanon
DAMASCUS (Reuters) – Tourists poured into Syria from Lebanon on Thursday, fleeing Israeli bombing and a sea and air blockade that turned crowded Syrian border crossings into Lebanon’s only outlet to the world. “I thought stability was in the air and this year was a good time to visit Lebanon, but Israeli aggression proved me [...]
July 14, 2006
Posted in: Syria
Syria making news again
By Hazel Heyer l Special to eTN Syria Tourism Minister Saad Abdallah Al Qala Syria tops the headlines once more following news about Israeli soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit's disappearance. Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert holds Syria responsible for Shalit’s abduction, ordering the army to push forward to strike Palestine Hamas militants at his behest. Last [...]
July 5, 2006
Posted in: Syria
Syria celebrates tourism rise
The number of tourists visiting Syria rose by 12 percent in 2005, the government has said, in a year in which Damascus faced an international outcry after the killing of a Lebanese statesman. Saadallah Agha al-Qalaa, Syria’s tourism minister, said on Monday: “We can say with confidence that 2005 was a good year on two [...]
December 28, 2005
Posted in: Syria
Foreign tourists flock to Syria despite troubles
DAMASCUS (Reuters) — Strolling in the narrow lanes of the oldest inhabited city in the world, American tourist David Kummer says he feels safer in its old souks than on the streets of New York. “It’s safer than New York here but Americans are fearful of Arabs, they think they are all terrorists. Most of [...]
July 20, 2005
Posted in: Syria
Syria: The tourism vision that was
Before the tremendous uproar on the streets of Lebanon for immediate Syrian withdrawal as a result of the assassination of Rafik Hariri, tourism officials in Syria were reporting positively on 2004 arrivals and potential increase in tourism revenue forecast this year.
March 18, 2005
Posted in: Syria
Syrian tourism industry discussed at presidential level
Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad chaired a meeting of the Tourism Higher Council which comprised of the Prime Minister and ministers of Finance, Transport, Interior, Local Administration and Environment and Minister of Tourism. At the beginning of the meeting, President al-Assad stressed the necessity of giving the tourism sector a special importance to come up with [...]
November 10, 2004
Posted in: Syria
Syria tourism goes full speed
In a bid to revive its tourism industry following the global recession, Syria celebrates the AL MAHABA Festival August 2nd to 12th, to be followed by two other international events, The Silk Road Festival from September 27 – 30 and the Bosra International Festival, held every other year also in the month of September.
August 5, 2004
Posted in: Syria
Syria’s expanding tourism sector forces airline to consider overhaul
With the country recording a dramatic boost in tourist arrivals during the first half of this year, these are interesting times for Syrian tourism. The figures confirm what many analysts have been saying for some time – that in the post-Sept. 11, 2001, world, Middle Eastern tourism markets have undergone an important shift in customer [...]
July 15, 2004
Posted in: Syria
Western tourists have yet to discover Syria
By Brooke Anderson DAMASCUS — With some of the best-preserved ancient ruins in the Middle East, one of the lowest crime rates in the world, some of the lowest prices in the region, and a unique and deeply rooted tradition of hospitality, Syria has all the potential to be a prime tourist destination. Yet Syria [...]
September 10, 2003
Posted in: Syria