RIYADH: Syria’s tourism sector posted a sharp rebound in 2025, with Arab and foreign arrivals rising 80 percent as improved security and policy shifts helped revive cross-border travel and investment interest, official data showed.
Total visitor numbers, including Syrians, increased 18 percent year on year to 3.56 million between January and November, according to the Ministry of Tourism.
This comes after more than a decade in which conflict, damaged infrastructure, and security concerns hollowed out what had been a major pre-war visitor economy, with Syria’s tourism rebound now emerging against a shifting regional and policy backdrop.
Tourism Minister Mazen Al-Salhani said the increase reflects more than a cyclical recovery, describing it as “not only the re-activation of tourism flows, but a deeper strategic recovery extending beyond the economic domain.”
He added that renewed interest from Arab travelers in particular “signals a transition to organized, civilian-driven mobility and a restored perception of Syria as a safe, attractive, and culturally rich destination.”
