Turkish tour operator organizes trips to regime areas in Syria

Fest Travel, a Turkish tourism company, has announced that it will be organizing trips to Syria starting in April 2024. The company announced the tours on its website as follows: “Syria is open for tourism again after a long, destructive and exhausting war.”

A representative of the company told Middle East Eye that the travel agency has opted for flights between Istanbul and Beirut as there are no direct flights between Turkey and Syria, and that the company will take Turkish tourists to Syria by car. The company will also provide security at the Syrian land border, entry visa approval and special permission to enter the city of Palmyra.

Despite the plight of the Syrian people, who are still suffering the consequences of the ongoing war and the destruction it has caused, Zekeriya Sen, general manager of Fest Travel, made a controversial statement to Middle East Eye: “It is an important opportunity to assess the impact of the war in particular. We have added new activities to enrich our programme”.

As the Syrian people struggle to make a living in the midst of violence and economic crisis, Sen made another unusual statement in the face of this reality: “We also offer a personalized dining experience for travelers. Our guests will taste the most delicious dishes of Syrian cuisine and learn cooking techniques.” According to the Fest Travel website, a seven-day tour costs 1950 dollars per person and includes accommodation in five-star hotels in Damascus, Bursa, Palmyra and Aleppo.

As the violence in Syria continued, tourism companies from several other countries also started organizing tours to the country. In 2019, the French tourism company Clio announced that it would start organizing cultural tours to Syria, despite security warnings from the French foreign ministry. Tourists traveling to Syria have been the subject of criticism in recent years. While Syrians were unable to return to their country due to the threat of war, the organization of tourist trips to Syria was controversial.

According to a report in the Washington Post, criticism of tourist travel to Syria increased, particularly in 2019, following a brief resurgence in Western tourism and the creation of videos and blogs by travel influencers. Anger also grew among Syrians living abroad, many of whom were displaced by the war and unable to return home. It was also reported that influencers were whitewashing the Syrian regime with the help of sponsors.

The announcement of tourist trips to Syria at a time of escalating conflict between Ankara and Damascus is all the more remarkable. As tensions between Erdogan and Assad rise again, it remains to be seen what kind of reactions such trips will provoke.