Rural Damascus Tourism: Providing the necessary facilities for tourist facilities, automating their services and increasing their number

Damascus-SANA

The Damascus Countryside Tourism Directorate seeks to support tourism in the various regions of the governorate by providing the necessary facilities for tourist facilities according to the available capabilities, as well as seeking to update the regulations and laws related to tourism investment and automating the services of tourist facilities and increasing their number.

The Director of Damascus Countryside Tourism, Eng. Wael Kayal, told SANA’s delegate that the directorate encourages the owners of tourist establishments to use alternative energy to ensure continuous provision of services to the beneficiaries, indicating that among the priorities of the directorate’s work is helping the owners of tourist establishments that operate seasonally, most of which are located in Bludan, Saydnaya and the airport road to secure resources Energy from diesel and gas according to the available capabilities.

In order to encourage popular tourism, the Directorate works according to Kayal to establish two tourist facilities on the banks of Lake Zarzar on real estate owned by the Ministry of Tourism.

Kayyal explained that since the beginning of this year, the Directorate has granted 19 rehabilitation forms for catering facilities in the countryside of Damascus, with a capacity of 1,838 chairs, at an investment cost of about 21 billion Syrian pounds. pound.

The number of tourist facilities put into service in the governorate of Damascus countryside reaches 244, while the number of tourism and travel offices is about 72. From last March until July, more than 113 trips were carried out to several tourist areas, including Latakia, Kassab, Salnafeh, Tartous, Saydnaya and Bloudan. The number of cultural and religious tourism visitors reached 47,000. According to Kayal, the number of hotel nights reached 330 thousand.

He also pointed out that the Damascus Countryside Governorate includes many religious, archaeological and historical monuments, which are an important tourist attraction, especially in Saydnaya, Sayeda Zainab and Maaloula, indicating that work is being done to develop services in the vicinity of Sayeda Zainab area to better serve it and open new paths to facilitate the movement of visitors to it. The terrorist war on Syria and the Corona pandemic affected the tourism movement, especially last year, but it has gradually returned to its activity since the beginning of last April.

Regarding the directorate’s preparations for tourism-related events, Kayal stated that preparations are being made to celebrate the World Tourism Day, which falls on September 27, under the title “Tourism for Inclusive Growth,” which includes technical sections and a special market to promote the products of the projects of the families of martyrs and the wounded in the army. It will be held in Damascus on the 15th of next October, during which several tourism projects will be presented.

Kayyal pointed out that sites owned by the Ministry of Culture were discovered, which are khans “in the countryside of Damascus that include the bride in Ain al-Tineh, the Sabeel in Dimas, Khan al-Sheeh in Khan al-Sheeh and Nour al-Din in al-Qutayfah.”

 Sakina Muhammed