Al-Hayat newspaper reported on Monday that the number of tourists visiting Syria during the first six months of 2010 exceeded 3,925,954, including Syrian expatriates, compared to 2,412,517 tourists during the same period of 2009.
The report, which was based on statistics from the Syrian Tourism Ministry, said the number of Arab and international tourists reached 2,119,282 and 1,107,147 respectively while the number of Syrian expatriates visiting their country reached 699,528.
The report said that the increase in the number of tourists visiting Syria is due to the promotions implemented by the Tourism Ministry during the past two years and the cancellation of visa requirements with Turkey and Iran. The ministry said Lebanese visitors increased by 89 percent while JordaniansÂ’ visits increased by 93 percent.
According to the report, Tourism Ministry spending reached SL 171 billion during the first half of 2010.
It added that the total number of tourists who visited Syria reached 4.4 million in the first half of 2010 compared to only 2.7 million in the same period of 2009.
The report added that tourists visiting through land, sea and air entry points reached 3.7 million, 3,071 and 681,444 respectively during the first half of 2010.
The Daily Star
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