Syria’s tourism sector is expected to experience a 40 percent drop in hotel occupancy as well as a 35 percent drop in revenue from Syrian Arab Airline ticket fares. Syrian Tourism Minister Qassem Miqdad stated that although the number of arriving tourists from non-Arab countries decreased by 10 percent since the September 11 attacks on the United States, a 9.5 percent increase was registered in tourists from Arab states.
Arab tourists constitute 74 percent of tourists in Syria. The nation’s income from tourism reached one billion dollars in 2000, reported Lebinvest. In July 2001, Syria drew up a list of 64 tourist projects open to private investments to meet the needs of incoming visitors. Syria is among the region's richest in historical sites, but tourism is under-developed because of a lack of investments and political instability. — (menareport.com)
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
