Damascus-Sana
The People's Assembly, in its eighth session of the first ordinary session of the third legislative session, held under the chairmanship of Hammouda Sabbagh, Speaker of the Assembly, discussed today the performance of the Ministry of Tourism and issues related to its work.
The Minister of Tourism, Engineer Muhammad Rami Martini, confirmed that the ministry was able to establish 10 investment contracts in the governorates of Damascus, Aleppo, Lattakia and Tartous, with a value of one thousand billion pounds that provide more than 2,500 job opportunities, indicating that the tourism investment budget for the current year amounts to two billion and 24 million Syrian pounds.
Minister Martini indicated that the number of tourist facilities damaged and forcibly closed as a result of terrorism and which returned to service amounted to 37 facilities at a cost of 148 billion pounds, while the number of new facilities that entered service reached 313 facilities at an investment cost of 412 billion liras, indicating that contracts for a number of projects contracted with the Ministry were terminated. And the public authorities as a result of investors' lack of seriousness or their unjustified cessation of implementation.
A number of council members called in their interventions to pay attention to popular, domestic, religious, and medical tourism, to support tourism directorates with the budget, mechanisms and cadres, to revive heritage festivals and popular markets, to put an end to high prices in hotels and restaurants, and to set accurate pricing for tourism products and services provided in any facility.
A number of members called for focusing on tourism promotion, monitoring the level of services provided in hotels, activating supervision of facilities through the tourist police, preparing a modern investment law that attracts investors and reducing prices for products and accommodation services in establishments, resorts and hotels in Tartous and Lattakia.
A number of members indicated the need to pay attention to the Valley House Cave project in Dreikesh, the Karnak project and the stream of the Asi River, rehabilitate the handicrafts market in Aleppo, pay attention to the Maaloula Hotel in the Damascus countryside, accelerate the development of the organizational plan for Araud Island, and pay attention to the tourism facilities in the ancient city of Palmyra.
In his response to the interventions, Minister Martini announced that the Ministry has dealt with the reality of most of the stalled private tourism projects, especially in the coastal region. As for the stalled projects for financing reasons, the resumption of granting loans will automatically contribute to their implementation, explaining that the ministry is working with public authorities to address the stalled investment of about 60 investment projects in the industrial, pharmaceutical, service and tourism sectors. In all provinces.
Minister Martini pointed out that a contract has been ratified to rehabilitate the Palmyra Roundabout Center and will turn into a center for visitors and tourists, while Palmyra hotels have been placed on the list of small development projects and will be supported by loans. The ministry’s large hotels need billions of pounds and are not a priority now, indicating in another context that “ The price of diesel and industrial and commercial gas includes tourist facilities.
He indicated that the Maaloula Hotel has been offered for investment more than once, and as a result of the current circumstances, no contract has been concluded regarding it due to lack of seriousness from the investors, and it needs to be completely demolished and not for rehabilitation.
At the beginning of the session, the Council approved, by an absolute majority of the number of its registered members present, the request for the resignation of the “A” member of the council from the Deir Al-Zour district, Taha Al-Hammadi Al-Khalifa, in order to assign him to another task.
The session, which was attended by Minister of State for People's Assembly Affairs, Maloul Al-Hussein, rose to 11 pm on Wednesday.