The Ministry of Tourism, in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, organised a special tour of Old Damascus today for representatives of 28 diplomatic missions accredited in Syria, attended by Minister of Tourism Mazen Al-Salhani. The initiative carries a message to the international community that Damascus continues to affirm its place as a vibrant city open to the world, offering a living picture of the religious and cultural diversity that defines its civilisational identity.
A Journey Through Old Damascus:
The tour takes guests on a journey through the landmarks of Old Damascus, starting at Bab Sharqi and Ananias Church, passing through Straight Street and the Roman Arch, and continuing to Al-Bzouriyah Souk, Khan As’ad Pasha and the Umayyad Mosque, before ending at the Sayyida Ruqayya Mosque. The route reflects a distinctive feature of Damascus, where places of worship, historic landmarks and traditional markets sit side by side, and the city’s streets tell a story of centuries of interaction between cultures and civilisations.
The tour gave diplomatic representatives the chance to experience life in Old Damascus up close, walk through its historic streets, and visit its religious and cultural landmarks and traditional markets, reflecting the city’s diversity and the vitality of its social fabric. This first-hand experience carries particular importance in strengthening engagement with the international community, building confidence in the Syrian destination, and giving representatives of other countries the opportunity to form a realistic picture of Damascus and its tourism assets.
Minister of Tourism Mazen Al-Salhani said the tour carries significance beyond introducing tourism sites. He said: “We want our guests to see Syria as it is. From Ananias Church to the Umayyad Mosque, and from the historic markets to Damascus’s old neighbourhoods, they will discover for themselves that Syria’s diversity is not just a phrase we talk about, but a reality present in its streets, its history and the lives of its people. This is the Syria we want the world to know and to visit.”
He added: “Confidence in a tourism destination is not built through messaging alone, but through direct experience. When representatives of other countries walk the streets of Damascus, meet its people, and experience its atmosphere for themselves, they carry with them a more realistic picture of life in Syria, and of the opportunities it has to strengthen its presence on the international tourism map.”
Cultural and Tourism Diplomacy:
The participating missions include diplomatic representation from Arab, Asian, European, African and Latin American countries, alongside the European Union delegation, giving the tour an international dimension that goes beyond conventional tourism activity and opens space for direct engagement with representatives of other countries on Syria’s cultural and tourism assets.
The initiative is part of the Ministry of Tourism’s efforts to use cultural and tourism diplomacy to strengthen engagement with the world, giving representatives of other countries the opportunity to get to know Damascus and its human and civilisational diversity up close, in support of the Syrian destination’s presence in international markets.
