Syria Launches 2026–2030 Tourism Strategy With Damascus at the Centre

Written By: Abhirup Gan

Abhirup Gan

I'm Abhirup Gan, a Mass Communication graduate and digital marketing professional. Driven by a passion for storytelling, I create insightful, research-led content that explores tourism trends, destination stories, and hospitality developments with depth and clarity. Through my writing, I hope to inspire readers to discover not only where to travel, but the stories, cultures, and experiences that make every journey meaningful.

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September 4, 2026 10:24 AM

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Damascus and Syria are key players in a brand-new five-year plan for the modernisation of tourism, which involves hospitality recovery, tourism investments and the development of medical tourism. 2026-2030 Tourism Strategy, which was launched by the Ministry of Tourism and supervised by the Minister, Mazen Al-Salhani, will work on the recovery of damaged tourism facilities along with the creation of new tourist attractions. This strategy includes 1,468 damaged hospitality facilities due to war that need to be recovered. The plan focuses on tourism facilities that have been idle or need to be rehabilitated to function. By recovering these tourism facilities, the hospitality capacity in Syria will be increased. The recovery of such tourism facilities will help in providing accommodation facilities to visitors of those destinations which fall within the scope of the tourism development program of Syria.

70% Local Workforce Requirement for Tourism Projects

The tourism modernisation framework also introduces a workforce requirement for public-private investment partnerships participating in hospitality projects.

These partnerships must maintain a minimum 70% local workforce quota, with priority given to domestic graduates from hospitality institutes.

The requirement connects the restoration of tourism facilities with employment opportunities in Syria’s hospitality sector. Graduates trained in hospitality-related fields will be positioned to take up jobs created through the reopening and modernisation of establishments.

The workforce measure forms part of the wider investment framework accompanying the restoration of Syria’s tourism infrastructure through 2030.

Damascus and Coastal Syria Develop Medical Tourism

Alongside hospitality recovery, Syria is developing a specialised medical and wellness tourism roadmap in coordination with the Ministry of Health.

The initiative identifies Damascus and coastal medical centres as key locations for developing medical travel services. The roadmap focuses on cosmetic, dental and surgical recovery services for visitors travelling to Syria for treatment.

Cosmetic and dental procedures are included among the targeted services, while surgical recovery is also part of the planned medical tourism offering.

The government has set a target of $500 million in annual medical tourism receipts by 2030.

The development of medical tourism introduces another travel segment to Syria’s tourism strategy. Visitors seeking treatment can also require accommodation, transportation, food services and recovery facilities, linking medical travel with the wider hospitality sector.

Coastal Destinations Gain a New Tourism Role

The inclusion of coastal medical centres gives destinations along Syria’s Mediterranean coastline a specific role in the country’s planned medical and wellness tourism expansion.

Medical visitors could combine treatment and recovery stays with access to coastal destinations, subject to the development of the required tourism and healthcare facilities.

The coastal focus also broadens the geographical scope of Syria’s tourism strategy beyond Damascus. While the capital remains a central destination for tourism and medical services, coastal areas are being incorporated into the country’s plans for specialised visitor services.

Tourism Development Extends to 2030

The Tourism Strategy of 2026–2030 for Syria incorporates the rebuilding of hospitality facilities and investment needs, local employment and the promotion of medical tourism. The rebuilding of 1,468 hotels, resorts and other hospitality facilities that were abandoned or damaged during the war constitutes one of the main elements of the hospitality plan, while the establishment of a 70% local labour requirement provides a template for employment in tourism projects. Simultaneously, Damascus and coastal medical tourism centres are being built according to a special roadmap that focuses on cosmetic, dental and surgical recovery procedures in order to attract $500 million in medical tourism revenues per year by 2030. Thus, hospitality recovery and medical tourism constitute two core areas of Syria’s tourism strategy until 2030.