LETTER FROM BEIRUT
Stroll in the souks of Damascus, see the ancient city of Palmyra stand in the middle of the desert and climb to the top of the Krak des Chevaliers, a vestige of the Crusades: with the promise of discovering a country rich in ten thousand years of history, remained far away tourist circuits since the civil war broke out in 2011, more and more specialist European tour operators are returning to Syria.
The destination is undoubtedly fascinating for lovers of history and trips off the beaten track. But behind the glossy images of jewels listed as World Heritage by Unesco, another reality looms. Bashar Al-Assad’s Syria remains a country at war, placed under international sanctions, and where the raging repression prevents the return of more than a third of the population, who now live in exile.
The Soviet Tours agency, based in Germany, led the way in 2017, by scheduling the first tourist tours in the country. President Bashar Al-Assad had just reconquered two-thirds of the territory, with the support of Russia and Iran. Without delay, the Syrian government had once again opened the country to tourists, eager to display a semblance of normalcy after years of war, which left more than 350,000 dead and massive destruction.
French cultural travel specialist Clio followed suit in 2019 until the Covid-19 pandemic once again isolated Syria from the rest of the world. Since the announcement in October of the resumption of the issuance of tourist visas by Damascus, a handful of European tour operators offer this destination.
Small groups or individual travelers
The clientele is there: some circuits are already full for late 2021 or early 2022. But not all foreign visitors are welcome. “Journalists are currently not allowed to join the tours. It is a strict government directive that we must comply with ”, warns Soviet Tours on its site. “We have to submit visa applications and sometimes they are refused”, also recognizes James Willcox, the founder of Untamed Borders.
The circuits developed by Soviet Tours, Clio or the British agencies Untamed Borders and Rocky Road are almost similar; they are intended for small groups or individual travelers, ready to pay 1,500 euros on average for a stay of one week.
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