Tours to Syria resume soon: travel agencies

Displaced Syrians are currently living in Byzantine-era ruins north of Syria – DW
Displaced Syrians are currently living in Byzantine-era ruins north of Syria – DW

QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The Soviet Tours and the Rocky Road Travel, the best known company for travel, among others are offering trips to Syria in 2022.

Untamed Borders, another travel company, is also advertising tourism tours to Syrian.

“Small groups sustainable travel to Iraq, Syria, Socotra, Somalia and more of the worlds’ most misunderstood destinations,” Rocky Road Travel tweeted.  

After coronavirus-related suspension of about 18 months, the Syrian government resumed issuing tourist visas in early October.

However, the German Embassy in Damascus is closed making it impossible to provide assistance to German nationals who will travel to Syria.

All of the trips will begin from Beirut, the Lebanese capital, since Europeans can fly there. After this, the tour groups drive across the border into Syrian government-controlled areas, heading to Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Latakia and Tartus before returning to Beirut.

All of the agencies assure to the tourists they are not going close to areas where fighting is still ongoing. They also stated journalists are not allowed to join the tours because it is a strict government instruction they have to comply with.

On the other hand, some monitors say the tourism is funding the “regime’s military actions against civilians,” and help normalize international relations with a “criminal regime”/Syrian government.

Resuming the tourist tours to Syria is supporting Syria’s income and currency.

To get to Syria, you need to be invited by a travel agency.