Rural Damascus-SANA
An active tourist movement is gradually witnessing in several areas in the Damascus countryside after the return of tourist facilities to service and the opening of new ones, according to those concerned, in parallel with the study of sites to be put up for tourism investment next August.
Director of Damascus Countryside Tourism, Eng. Wael Kayyal, explained in a statement to SANA’s delegate that the directorate is coordinating with the concerned authorities and ministries to choose new areas in the province to present them at the Tourism Investment Forum to be held in Aleppo next August. It is located in the suburb of Qudsaya, on an area of about 21,000 square meters, to develop the planning and organizational study for the site, increase the investment factor, and raise construction rates from 35 percent to 40 percent.
Kayal indicated that the mentioned site, if approved, would serve as an important attractive tourist site for the region, including various services, including a garage on the entire floor area, a commercial mall, a sports and health club, complementary services, restaurants, cafeterias, and multi-use halls, in addition to a hotel and hotel apartments with a percentage of 45 percent of the floor area.
The second site under study to be presented at the upcoming investment forum, according to Kayal, is located on Island “A” in Qudsaya suburb, on an area of 88,000 square meters. It will serve as a major service center for Qudsaya suburb and its neighboring areas. It includes tourism and commercial offices, catering facilities, multi-use halls, cafeterias, and others. With the owners of tourism projects and investors of private tourism establishments scattered in the governorate to indicate their desire to establish companies with other investors to complete their projects and put them into investment and service.
Kayal indicated that after communicating with the Ministry of Culture to offer tourist sites affiliated with it at the Investment Forum, four sites were proposed, distributed in Al-Dimas, Ain Al-Tineh, Al-Qutayfa and Khan Al-Sheeh. At the forum, he stressed that work is underway to prepare the files for the mentioned sites and to address problems, if any, to facilitate investors' affairs if approved.
Regarding the development of the vicinity of the shrine of Sayyida Zainab, Kayyal revealed the formation of a joint committee from the Ministries of Tourism, Local Administration and Environment and the Regional Planning Authority to study the perimeter of the shrine, present the necessary proposals in the planning and urban fields, and identify the requirements for rehabilitation work in coordination with the relevant authorities to ensure implementation within specific time limits.
The tourism movement in the countryside of Damascus, according to Kayyal, has been active during the last period after the opening of many new tourist facilities and the return of other facilities spread in Bloudan, Saydnaya, and the Damascus International Airport road to work, which were suspended due to the terrorist war.
After the invitation by the World Tourism Organization to Syria to participate in the initiative of the best rural tourist villages, Damascus countryside tourism, according to its director, continued with the administrative units in the province to provide it with models of rural villages with elements of tourist attraction, the most important of which is the low population density and the continuation of the practice of traditional activities to support them, protect their communities and local heritage, and achieve Sustainability of its resources if approved by the organization.
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