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Palmyra: there are thousands of ancient
monuments
and sites in Syria which boasts the oldest
continually-
inhabited cities on earth |
In spite of its plentiful natural resources, Syria is keenly aware
of the need to develop new industries to counter long-term
unemployment. Perhaps the most obvious example of this commitment
is tourism, which, after oil, is already the second largest
generator of foreign currency, accounting for inflows of about $1.5
billion in 1999, some 4% of GDP. Under a 20-year plan drawn up by
the Ministry of Tourism, Syria aims to attract 7 million tourists a
year, compared with the current 2.5 million, chiefly arrivals from
the neighbouring states of Jordan and Lebanon, as well as from the
Gulf.
European visitor numbers also starting to increase, and attests to
the potential of tourism. The cities of Aleppo and Damascus both
lay claim to being the oldest continually inhabited urban...
