Syrian Visitor Numbers Double Despite Regional Instability

More than 3.52 million people visited Syria in the first half of 2026, more than double the amount in the first half of 2025.

This is in contrast to much of the Middle East, where visitor numbers have fallen sharply due to the conflict between Israel/USA and Iran, along with the wider instability.

Syrian Visitor Numbers Double Despite Regional Instability

Syria’s tourism sector has shown strong signs of recovery since the civil war ended. The nation is now preparing to host an international travel show, with more direct flight links serving the country and new hotels being built due to high demand, with older properties being renovated too.

Group tours are also returning to the nation again according to adventure travel company – Untamed Borders. The operator has been guiding guests to the country since 2017, but pressed pause in the Spring, due to the recent Iran and US/Israel conflict. However, over the summer Untamed Borders has been guiding private guests in Syria again and now has a number of upcoming group trips to the country.

Government figures show international arrivals are up 448% and Arab arrivals up 107%. In preparation for an expected continued increase in tourists, a new Syrian tourism app has been launched. It’s designed to make travel in the country more straightforward for visitors, bringing together a payment platform for hotels, restaurants, attractions, transport and food delivery services.

There is also a resurgence in visitors to the Syrian coastline, with beach clubs and hotels in the Latakia region reporting a busy summer, drawing in bikini clad tourists and performances from Lebanese pop-stars.

The growing demand is seeing the focus turn to hotel construction and renovation, with concerns the level of interest is outpacing the amount of hotel room stock in the country. Work has already started to put this right, with the four-star Palm Village Hotel near Damascus undergoing a major renovation and modernization, after being closed since 2011.

A new $300million development is also due to be built near the historic Umayyad Square in the capital, with a 150-room hotel and leisure complex included in the project.

The improved relative stability and tourism increase, is also turning the heads of major investors in the Gulf. A company from the UAE has released plans for a multi-billion pound development near Damascus. It would include more than 3,000 new hotel rooms and 73,000 housing units.

To capitalise on this renewed interest in the nation, a travel show is being held in the capital in September. The Syrian Travel Show is expected to attract around 5,000 people, with exhibitions, guest speeches and conferences, linked to investment opportunities in the tourism sector.

The change in Syria’s tourism landscape has been aided by the number of direct flight services now operating to the country. Recently direct flights from Germany resumed after being paused since 2011 and last month direct flights resumed from Amsterdam.

The higher volume of direct services to Damascus builds on the green shoots of progress from last year, when Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways and Royal Jordanian resumed flights to the country, after the new government came into power.

It isn’t just the airport in Damascus that is seeing the resumption of flights. The airport in Aleppo is also enjoying a number of new services – including 3 new direct routes at the weekend from Antalya (Turkey), Dusseldorf (Germany) and Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). Last month Fly Dubai also resumed flights to the city.

Syria is no stranger to visitors, it was once a popular tourist destination, drawing more than 10 million visitors at its peak in 2010, before the civil war broke out.

Founder of Untamed Borders, James Willcox, says the Syrian tourism story bucks the current trend for the region: “Over the past 18 months Syria has enjoyed a period of relative stability and we’re delighted to see more visitors returning to the country.

This is despite major upheavals in many of the nations we operate in across the Middle East, where visitor numbers have fallen and travelling to many countries in this part of the world has become more challenging. Syrian Visitor Numbers

What makes the Syrian tourism story more remarkable, is that you couldn’t fly to Damascus - the country’s major entry point - for a month this year, due to airspace closures in the Middle East.

We’re also encouraged to see a lot of the country’s wonderful ancient sites are now undergoing restoration, so they can be brought back to their former glory and enjoyed by Syrians and tourists alike.

These include major works at Damascus’ Umayyad Mosque, continued renovations at Aleppo’s Citadel and in the city’s covered bazaars, just to name a few.

We’re also excited to see steps being made to create a railway connection between Turkey and Saudi Arabia, travelling through Syria and Jordan on the journey – evoking the spirit of the ancient Silk Road.

Let’s hope this period of stability continues and more people can enjoy the fantastic wealth of attractions, historic sites and the warmth in hospitality, which Syria has to offer.”