Syrian hosts tourism fair

Following on the heels of an April conference which saw 127 applicants from around the world bidding to develop 100 of Syria’s top tourist sites, Sadallah Agha al-Qala, Syria’s Minister of Tourism, gleefully opened the “Syrian Tourist Horizons Forum” July 5 in Damascus.
Naturally enough, the two-day event was meant to highlight some of the country’s recent (and anticipated) achievements in the sector: 9,000 new hotel beds will be added each year by 2010 at which point tourist revenues are expected to reach $6 billion annually ($2.2 billion was earned in 2004 al-Qala told the conference). And despite what the minister referred to somewhat euphemistically as “bad publicity,” the first five months of 2005 saw a 55% jump in package tours of Western tourists coming from mainland Europe – a stat that was used to justify the prediction that 3.6 million tourists will have visited Syria by year’s end, or 600,000 more that 2004.
One of the main speaker’s at the conference, however, Intercontinental Hotels Group CEO Chris Moloney, signaled at least one problem the sector faces mostly unrelated to politics or economics – an aspect that may ultimately harm the sector’s long-term prospects for growth far more than any immediate questions about the current regime’s stability or lack of stability.
“I urge you to carefully consider the unique experiences which Syria can offer compared to other destinations….. Pay attention to that aspect because it is extremely valuable and fragile,” said Moloney.
Of course, hewing to such advice may not be that easy: Outside the conference hall large, glossy displays for future developments in Palmyra, Tartus and Latakia looked more like the sorts of hotel and recreational developments found in Dubai or Las Vegas. Already, in fact, 19 of the April projects that were approved have broken ground, with some promising to bring the first real taste of the five star life to points across the country.
According to Nashaat Sanadiki, Chairman of the recently formed Federation of Syrian Chambers of Commerce, the danger of “overscale development” – development which overwhelms the natural beauty and charm of an area rather than adding to it – is both real and, he hopes, manageable.
“My view is that I would like to see Syria takes it’s share in tourism, but without harming our texture and social life,” he said. “We can do that without resembling Dubai… [but] that means we cannot sacrifice our desert area, for example, to convert it all in to 5 stars resorts.
“Where will the average Syrian go after all?”