Dr Sadallah A. Al Qala, Minister of Tourism

Monday May 15th 2006 - Can you give us an overview of Syria’s tourism sector?

Syria's potential for Tourism is huge. It is the motherland that has endowed the human history with many first discoveries: the first plantation, the first human settlements leading to organized urbanism, the first alphabet, the first musical score, the first syndicate of the world, the early human successes in controlling water passages and in inventing the water wheel for raising water, the first trilingual lexicon, the first library and many others. Damascus and Aleppo are the oldest inhabited cities in the world, and Syria is the cradle of Islam and Christianity, it is in Damascus that St Paul was converted and started his mission and from this city the Islamic Empire stretched from China to Andalusia during the Omayyads. Other elements also make Syria very attractive for tourism: Syria is one of the safest countries, the landscape in Syria is distinctly diversified: azure seashores, green mountains and forests, golden desert..., and the temperate climate makes it a welcoming destination at all seasons, last but not least, Syrian people are very welcoming and generous.

Syria received about 3.4 million tourists in the year 2005, 74% of these tourists come from the Arab world and 13% from Moslem countries and 13 % from Europe. Since 2001, Syria has developed a New Vision for Tourism based on the idea that tourism can and will be the major pillar the Syrian economy and a tool for regional development through creating job opportunities. Tourism in Syria can and will also become a bridge between peoples, a tool of dialogue between cultures and civilizations.

Since the implementation of this new vision, the annual growth rate in the sector has increased up to 15% while it was 8 % in the 90's due to the expenditures for the sector

A great focus is put on the development of the sector; what are the main challenges awaiting the Ministry?

The Syrian government and the Ministry of Tourism are facing a challenge: How to balance the offer and the demand? Infrastructures and accommodation options need to be developed, and Syria needs to attract investments in the sector. The Higher Council for Tourism adapted all the proposals of the Ministry of Tourism to create a new environment for investment.

What are your plans to attract foreign investors to invest in the tourism sector in Syria?

We are offering very interesting and flexible formulas of development as well as financial incentives to the investors, the developers, and the entrepreneurs. The 1st Tourism Forum in 2005, and more recently the 2nd Tourism Forum in April 2006 have been very successful in terms of attracting partners and investors. We currently have 33 private projects developed on government land.

In 2003, investments in the tourism sector reached USD 100 million. In 2005, new investments reached USD 1.0 billion. In 2006, investments in the sector will reach USD 1.3 billion at least, distributed in various regions of Syria (36% in Damascus and its countryside and 64% in the rest of the country while it was 50 % in 2005).

However, we are not only seeking to develop resorts, hotels and accommodation options, but we also need to develop a richer offer for tourists. Out of the total investments in the sector, 55% is invested in hotels and 45% in value added products (water sports, eco-tourism, Safaris..) with the aim of increasing the average expenditure per tourist from USD 500 to USD 800.

In our new vision for Tourism, Syria needs to develop a different tourism, with a richer offer, but Syria also needs to diversify its sources of tourists. We are seeking to attract more tourists from the different parts of the world. We have recently signed an agreement with the Chinese government and Syria has become an approved destination. However, we are not seeking mass tourism. We want to preserve the ecological and cultural balance of our country. We want tourism to be a bridge between the cultures not a struggle between them.

What would be your final message to our readers?

Syria is taking off and we are providing a competitive, attractive environment for investments. It’s the right time to invest in Syria and investors will find all the necessary tools and benefits to make profitable investments.