Tourism sector indicators during 2022
In comparison with the previous years, the indicators of the tourism sector during 2022 witnessed a remarkable development as several laws were issued that contributed to improving the quality of tourism services in addition to organizing and linking education outputs to the labor market.
Forums and projects carried out to develop the tourism investment during the year 2022 were :
–The Tourism Investment Forum was held, which presented 25 investment projects and 16 promotional opportunities for projects of public agencies, popular organizations and trade unions.
–Opening a number of public sector’s projects including 5-star hotels.
–Opening several heritage and hotel projects at different levels in the governorates of Damascus, Aleppo, Tartousand Homs.
–43 tourism establishments were put into service at an investment cost of 250 billion SYP, while the number of tourism establishments that obtained a construction license reached 12, at an investment cost of 835 billion SYP.
– Hotels owned by the Ministry of Tourism including “Dama Rose” , “Sheraton Damascus” “Shahba Aleppo” , “Lamira Resort” achieved revenues of approximately 11.1 billion SYP during the year 2022.
Projects In the field of domestic and popular tourism projects during the year 2022:
–Allocating 3 billion SYP of the ministry’s investment budget for the year 2023, to complete the implementation of its plan to develop popular domestic tourism projects.
–In the field of tourism and development and securing job opportunities during the year 2022:
– Working on completing the comprehensive tourism education and training map within the tourism sector plan 2020-2030, and completing projects of building and constructing technical institutes and hotel schools in the governorates.
–Modernizing technical equipment and training programs and opening the Hotel Vocational School in Homs, and putting it into service with a capacity of about 600 students.
–Completion of rehabilitation projects for tourism schools ,and institutions which are in service in Tartous, Sweidah, Deir Ezzor and Lattakia.
–Holding “job opportunities” forum in cooperation between the Ministries of Tourism and Social Affairs and Labor, to secure job opportunities for graduates of tourism faculties, institutes, hotel schools and licensed training centers.
The number of Arab and foreign arrivals in Syria during 2022 has reached nearly 1.8 million, while the total number of tourists coming within the tourist groups reached approximately 180,000 visitors in the year 2022.
–In the field of internal and external tourism promotion during the year 2022:
–The Ministry of Tourism participated with a number of hotels, offices and tourism companies in the Arabian Travel Market ATM exhibition in Dubai 2022, and the (Vitor) exhibition in Spain.
–The Ministry, along with the Distinction and CreativityAgency , participated in the activities of the First World Youth Tourism Summit, organized by the World Tourism Organization and the Italian Ministry of Tourism in the Italian town of Sorrento.
–Participation in the meetings of the extraordinary session of the General Assembly of the World Tourism Organization in Madrid, Spain.
–Organizing the flower exhibition with the participation of 196 local and international exhibitors, in conjunction with organizing the Coast Flowers exhibition in Lattakia.
-Holding several activities in a number of governorates on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Ministry of Tourism and on the occasion of World Tourism Day.
–Participating in a number of local artistic and sports internal events, including the Central Forum for Sculpture, Painting, Photography and Handicrafts and Arab Clubs Cycling Championship .
–Implementing of promotional films and photo tours to many important tourist areas.
International and local tourism cooperation during the year 2022:
–Signing a memorandum of understanding with the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and a tourism cooperation agreement with the Republic of Crimea.
–Signing memorandums of understanding with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor in the field of training and rehabilitation and linking young people to job opportunities available in the tourism sector, and other agreements to develop the tourism sector and the traditional heritage condition .
A number of laws and legislation issued during the year 2022 to regulate the tourism sector.
Rawaa Ghanam