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2nd
Tourism Investment Market Forum
April 2006
Syria; the new Destination for Tourism Investment
Syria is considered
a large museum which contains ancient monuments for more than 20
different civilizations containing as a whole and lining the history
of the Civilization, achieving rare diversity amongst the
international levels and through many aspects, such as agriculture
which was discovered for the first time in history on its lands,
alloys invented, the pottery industry, as well as the first writing,
the first alphabet ever, the first library and the first written
musical note in the old periods.
It also preserved
for all human kind the two most ancient inhabited cities all over
the times, Damascus and Aleppo (which have been chosen this year to
be the Capital of the Islamic Culture ) summarizing the whole
history in one country, that is once visited as if you visited the
whole world.
The Nature in Syria
is distinctly diversified. It contains seashores, mountains,
forests, dessert, rivers, caves, lakes both natural and artificial,
and many summer resorts. All this along with the diversity in the
antiques, the ancient cities with its markets, khans and old
domiciles, the handicrafts and the traditional industries contribute
to formulate a unique attracting compound tourism product.
The visit would also
include the different forms of historical life, view marvelous sorts
of traditional arts and practicing attracting tourist activities.
Moreover, Syria enjoys an ambience of security and stability that
prevails for its citizens and visitors alike that is rarely found in
today’s world.
Since 2002, the
Government has adopted tourism as a strategic industry in Syria and
to be one of the pillars at the national economy. Moreover it is a
tool for the dialogue amongst nations and civilizations, effectively
attributes in highlighting the civilized image of Syria, contributes
to the social development for the communities nearby the historical
and tourism locations, and able to help preserve the cultural,
artistic and historical heritage of Syria.
Accordingly, the tourism
sector has been restructured. New directorates in charge of the
different elements of the tourism product were established within
the Ministry as well as the establishment of the Tourism Chambers
with the private sector.
Even more, a new
comprehensive promotional plan was launched that led to a noticeable
increase in the numbers of tourists reaching 15% per year, with 3.4
Millions accommodated tourists in 2005 (1.4 millions at hotels, and
2 millions in other forms of accommodations such as furnished
apartments) which recall to enhance the efforts toward the
realization of huge investments as to maintain a balance between the
average of the growing investments, and the increase in the tourists
numbers. The percentage of the investments increase reached 8%,
against 2% in the nineties, and the number of classified beds at the
Ministry of Tourism were 43000 beds in 2005, which reflects the
necessity of achieving bigger increases to fulfill the requirements
of the increasing tourists numbers.
At that point the
Ministry started to study the potentials in Syria, prefacing to
create an adequate and proper atmosphere for investment through the
improvement of the existing laws, to issue the new needed ones which
shall comply with the accelerated changes on the economic
international level and to achieve the attracting investment
atmosphere combined with transparency reflecting the sense of safety
and security for the local, Arab and international Investors.
Besides, the
Investment in Syria is based on several components such as:
political and economic stability, the feasibility and the integrated
infra structures since Syria provides a net of highways, railways
covering all the areas in the Country beside 5 Airports (3 are
international) and an Airline company and the telecommunication and
water and electricity network services, as well as the mobile phone
service all over the Country, in addition to the stabilized external
markets, and the highly experienced with low cost manpower.
Syria has its fixed
tourism markets that are not affected by the international changes
(interior and emigrants tourism) with a 6 million Syrian Emigrants,
beside Arabic visitors forming 74% of the Syrian Tourism, and other
promising markets, in addition to the European Countries and China,
where a memorandum has been signed among Syria, Turkey and Egypt for
joint promotion with mutual tourism programs for China and overseas.
Special attention
has been oriented to training and habilitation through 16 schools
and private hotel training centers.
Syria does not
require an entrance visa for the Arab tourists while foreign visitor
can obtain a free entrance visa through the different ports of entry
when coming through a travel agency from his country, in addition to
the application of the international credit Card.
Consequently, the
road to the ownership of tourism projects lands are now open for the
Arab and international Investors, beside that the Tourism projects
has become free from all the Taxes and fees during the construction
period, and the permission for importing all the constructing
materials, equipments and the working cars and other fixtures has
being granted, as well as tax allowance of the tourism projects from
taxes and fees for a period of seven years commencing from the
operating date.
After that it shall
be 50 % of those fees stating from the 8th year, and
allowing the transfer of funds for the foreign investors abroad in
the hard currency after five years from the investment commencement,
and to permit the transfer of the yields and profits of the exterior
capital in the hard currency, also to achieve the concept of the
"one window" into the Ministry of Tourism for all the tourism
investment projects, as to facilitate the procedures of tourism
licensing, and to permit the direct operations with the investors
desiring to invest into the developed tourism areas, and the
historical buildings, and to implement special terms provisions, in
order to encourage the process of investment in these areas, and the
cancellation of the rules which were restricting the hard currency
flow and funds movement, and to simplify the procedures on granting
the loans, as well as rebating interests on the tourism loans, and
starting the operations of private banks.
The First Tourism investment
Market Forum was held in April 2005 with 1200 Syrian, Arabs and
International participants, which was the starting point for the
tourism investment. Tens of regulations have been issued before the
launching of the that Forum which paved the way to establish a new
investment environment such as: permitting the commercial sectors at
the tourism compounds to import merchandise, and financing the
imported goods ,and making new law for the workers in the Tourism
institutions , according to principle stating: "
the law is the code of the contracting parties".
New formulas for the Tourism
investment been implemented for the exhibited projects in the
tourism investment market, such as the investing system according to
the "BOT" formula for 49 years, which gives the investor the right
to alienate to the others, after the completion of the project, and
the Investment system according to the usufruct to the plot, with
giving the investor the right to alienate the usufruct and the
instructed tourism structures by him to others after the completion
of the Project.
The outcome of the first
Tourism Investment
Market Forum
The proceedings of
the tourism projects resulted from the First Tourism Investment
Market Forum held in April /2005 reached to more than half a billion
USD (which equals almost SP. 27 Billions). These projects were
tendered in accordance with books of specifications concerning
investment, and on the feasibility studies, and plans made through
mutual coordination with foreign experts.
The total of these
projects were 13, allocated in 8 governorates as follows:
Damascus- Damascus Countryside - Aleppo- Lattakia- Tartous – AL Raqa
– Darra and AL Hasaka.
The following table shows the allocation of these projects and its
investment value and the investing body:
|
Project Name |
Governorate |
Investing Body |
The
Administrating CO. |
The Investment
in USD. |
remarks |
|
Kiwan |
Damascus |
Mohammed Abdul
Muhsin AL Khurrafi from Kuwait |
Intercontinental |
USD.217
Millions |
With 900 beds. |
|
Tariq Bin Ziyad
barracks |
Aleppo |
Kahhala Group,
and Co. of Syrian ,Kuwaiti and Saudi Investors |
Intercontinental
and Holiday inn
|
USD. 137
Millions |
With 900
hostelry beds. |
|
Eastern
Meridian Project |
Lattakia |
Olympic Tour
from Russia |
KAF OTECILIK
from Turkey |
USD. 80
Millions |
|
|
Kafer Sousa
switchboards Project |
Damascus |
AL Shariq Group
|
|
USD.25 millions |
With 500 beds |
|
J udaide Al
Wadi Motels Project |
Damascus
Countryside |
Groups Hamshu
International – AL Shariq |
|
USD.17,4
millions |
With 350 beds |
|
The engineers
Syndicate
Land Project |
Aleppo |
French Acore
Co. "Administration Company" |
|
USD.14 millions |
With 240 beds |
|
The Agronomists
retirement hotel project |
Tartous |
Group Of Syrian
Emigrants in Venezuela |
|
USD.7,5
millions |
With 200 beds |
|
AL Hayatt
Hotel Project |
Damascus
|
Group Nesco.
From K.S.A |
|
USD.4 millions |
With 200 beds |
|
International
Damascus Airport Hotel Project |
Damascus
Countryside |
Dr. Mohammed
Redhwan Al Massri Co. |
|
USD2,4 millions |
With 140 beds |
|
Derra Hotel
Project |
Derra
|
Sarah
Investment Group |
|
USD.2 millions |
With 80 beds (3
stars) |
|
Al Raqa Hotel
Project |
AL Raqa
|
Owned by: Mr.
Faisal AL Ibrahim |
|
USD. 0,7
millions |
With 87 beds (3
stars) |
|
The Area of
Restaurants and cafeterias in the southern coast road
Project |
Lattakia |
Owned by: Mr.
Nicola Jaghnoun |
|
USD. 0,6
millions |
|
|
AL Qamishli
Hotel Project |
AL Hasaka
|
Reem Economic
|
|
SP. 900
millions |
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Accordingly, the new
investments which will start to construct at the private sector,
during three years as a result of the Investment Forum, raised from
SP. 6 Billions (Private sector) in 2003 to SP. 16 Billion in 2004(6
at the private Sector and 10 at the joint sector) to SP. 38 Billions
in 2005 (11 Billions at the private sector and 27 Billions at the
Projects of the Investment Forum) without considering the new
investments which were prepared according to the current situation,
then the investments in the tourism sector in 2005 shall be more
than USD. 1 Billion.
This fact shows that
the development of the investments is balancing with the growth in
the number of tourists.
2nd
Tourism Investment Market Forum
It will be held on
its annual period on 26-29 of April, where different projects shall
be submitted from all the Syrian governorates, some of these
projects presented for the intention of making contracts, and others
for promotional purposes to be presented later along with the
requirements of investment activation specially in the line of
preparing and advertising the required marketing plans, and to
present the amendments on the investment conditions in the developed
areas.
Knowing that the
locations to be presented at the second forum shall attribute widely
to reconstruct the structure of the investments, and shall achieve
the balanced development in a clearer manner, for instance in Aleppo
there will be a project for the Eco tourism, in Panyas a project for
the internal tourism, and in Lattakia there will be a location for
the Mountain Tourism, and in each Aleppo and Hamah and Bosra there
shall be locations for historical Tourism, and opposite to Tartous
city there will be investments in the Syrian flooded Isles, and in
Bludan there shall be a project for Winter Tourism. In Tartous, an
investment project for caves tourism, also in Der AL zour a project
for river Tourism, also in Edlib and Darra, there are locations for
Health Tourism, and in Aleppo Country there are locations for
integrated tourism on the lakes, in Lattakia locations for
integrated tourism on the sea shore, and in Each Lattakia and the
Damascus Countryside there are investment for the tourism training,
beside audio/video shows in five major ancient monuments sites, the
required marketing plans is being prepared to be presented before
the Investment Market.
|
Eco
Tourism- Aleppo county side |
Investment
in local Tourism – Panyas |
|
Mountain
Tourism - Lattakia |
constructions in the Syrian Flooded Icelands- Tartous |
|
Winter
Tourism – Bludan |
Caves
Tourism – Tartous |
|
River
Tourism – Der ALzour |
Borders
crossing points, Bab AL hawa. |
|
Health
Tourism- Edlib and Derra |
Historical
Tourism – Aleppo – Hammah - Bossra |
|
Tourism
Training- Lattakia – Damascus Countryside |
Audio and
video shows in five major ancient sites |
|
Comprehensive Tourism Areas on Lakes – Aleppo
|
comprehensive Tourism on the sea shore – Lattakia
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The priorities of
the Executive Programs of the Ministry agenda in the 2006-2007 have
been identified and were connected to a limited time frame to insure
its perfect fulfillment either in the Tourism Quality programs such
as: "The Religious Tourism Visit Locations, and the border cross
points programs, or the promotional programs addressed for the new
Tourism markets like China, and the second and third Generation
emigrants societies, or the integrated projects concerning Palmyra,
containing a plan for administrating of the historical location, and
Palmyra in general, and the added values, the Audio and video shows
, and the investment locations in accommodation and habilitation and
training, as well as the programs concerning the Syrian Flooded
Icelands opposite to Tartous and the investment development in Bassa
and Sanawbar on Lattakia seashore. And the river tourism resorts in
The Governorates of Aleppo and Al Raqa and Der Al zour, and the
Syrian castles product that is cross-governorates.
2006 shall be the
year of expansion of the tourism activity, and tourism investments,
and the expenditure to include all the Syrian Governorates, along
with the reshaping the Markets baskets to go in compliance with that
goal beside the elevation of the standards and the quality of the
services provided.
Knowing that results
of the First Tourism Investment Market Forum has participated in
directing some of the projects into Areas of development , beside
the Private sector tourism projects, in addition to that, marketing
and promoting shall concentrate and aim into the new markets
attracting tourists, with highly expenditure simultaneously, with
prompting for the European tourists which shall achieve the balanced
development in the tourist activity.
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