By the end of December 2023, Syria witnessed a notable influx of tourists, with approximately 2 million visitors, as reported by the Ministry of Tourism in an official statement acquired by Athr Press.
According to the released statement, the tourist composition consisted of one million and 750 thousand Arab visitors and 250 thousand foreigners. Predominantly, the Arab nationalities represented included Lebanese, Iraqi, Jordanian, Bahraini, and Kuwaiti tourists. Meanwhile, foreign visitors hailed from Russian, Pakistani, Iranian, and Indian backgrounds. Among these, 213 thousand individuals visited holy sites, contributing to a total of one million and 230 thousand hotel nights.
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Further details from the tourism statement highlighted that the combined count of Arab and foreign guests who spent their nights in hotels until December 2023 reached approximately 360 thousand. This figure encompassed 300 thousand Arab guests and 60 thousand foreigners, accounting for a total of one million and 700 thousand hotel nights. Specifically, Arab tourists accounted for one million and 40 thousand nights, while foreign tourists contributed 660 thousand nights.
The Ministry’s statement also noted that Syrians themselves utilized a substantial number of hotel nights, totalling 3 million and 400 thousand throughout the entirety of 2023.
Hotel profits and revenues:
According to the statement, a copy of which was acquired by Athr Press, the revenues of Ministry of Tourism-affiliated hotels in 2023 surged to around 125 billion Syrian pounds, a remarkable increase compared to the approximately 56 billion Syrian pounds recorded in 2022, marking a growth of over 120%.
The statement further revealed that the total estimated profit for 2023 reached about 28 billion Syrian pounds, displaying a substantial rise from the approximately 11 billion recorded in 2022, indicating an impressive increase of 145%.
Additionally, the Ministry of Tourism’s statement highlighted changes in the landscape of tourism and travel offices in 2023, with 49 new licenses issued, 25 offices frozen, and 32 travel and tourism offices cancelled.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
