If you want to explore the most historic places in a single country, Syria is the destination that you are looking for. This Middle Eastern country was the hub of tourism back till 2010 and was estimated to welcome around 8.5 million tourists annually. But after March 2011, when the civil war broke out, the graph started declining, and today there is hardly someone out there who wants to travel to Syria for recreation. The Syria news keeps on updating the whole world with the current unrest in the state. But the quest to explore helped some of the zealous travelers find ways of traveling to Syria by overlooking the prevailing scenarios. So as a result, there is a noticeable tourism activity observed for the last two years.
Still, there is no clear-cut answer to the question that is it safe to travel to Syria. You have to calculate the odds and decide for yourself. To help you out, let's highlight the reasons why you should and why you should not travel to Syria currently.
Why you should not:
1. The threat of Covid-19 is more serious there
We all are aware of the current hazards of Covid-19 and the implementation of restricted cross-border traveling policies as it is one of the most effective measures to eradicate the deadly virus. It's high time in Syria to observe them and avoid traveling. Also, the center for Disease Control and Prevention declared a Level-3 health notice for traveling to Syria. The government is launching health campaigns, setting up camps but failing badly to stop the virus from spreading.
The whole world is equipped with all the health facilities that cannot fight the deadly virus, and the situation is out of control. You can imagine the thrust of the disease in a rehabilitating country that lacks basic health facilities. So, if you want to stay safe and alive, you have to cancel your plans to travel to this area.
2. Massive Armed conflicts
For over a decade, the country faces a continuous war situation and is trying hard to stop it. The militants from within the country and the cross-border disturbance have resulted in unpredictable and ongoing riots, airstrikes, and explosive bombing. Some parts of Syria are under a severe attack of violence. The use of chemical weapons, bombardment, and shelling has resulted in many casualties or immense injuries. The citizens are trying hard to find a safe zone for themselves. Traveling to this destination, you may think is it safe to travel to Syria as it can even be a threat to your life.
3. Poor Law and order situation
Syria is under active armed conflict since 2011, and the situation is more or less the same to date. The massive destruction and lack of resources have increased humanitarian needs, and they are not receiving any proper aid from any source. The collapse has led to an imbalance between demand and supply, unemployment, health facilities, inflated food prices, and even scarcity. Apart from the war, all this, along with the porous border, has led to poor law and order within the country. The crime ratio has increased immensely with time in Syria, and the incidents of checkpoint extortion, robbery, kidnapping is a matter of daily routine. Foreigners, when looking into how to travel to Syria, should know they are at greater risk.
4. You can get stuck there
Whether you are traveling to Syria by air or going by road, there is a possibility that your trip might get longer than you have planned. Where is Syria is the question as to the ongoing riots near the airport the flights get canceled for an unknown period, so you have to cross your fingers and wait for the restoration. Traveling within the country by road is also not that easy; you can run into a fight among troops, unexploded ordnance, or a bombing attack from opponents. The anti-government authorities hold many of the areas, so if you mistakenly enter their territory, there is hardly a chance to escape. So, traveling to Syria, you will come across suspension of flights, restricted cross-border activity, or even border and road closures.
5. Wait for the right time / Is traveling there ethically acceptable?
In Syria, the government is trying to structure law and maintain peace and rebuild the infrastructure to where it was before. Where is Syria as citizens are also rehabilitating with authorities' help and doing all that is possible to take life to the normal track? The civil war is not over yet, and people are busy finding food and shelter for themselves. So, this is not the perfect time when they are ready to welcome people with a warm heart. People are horrified with many deep impressions of the loss that this unrest brought in their lives. This seems quite unethical when people are starving and suffering, and you are busy exploring their land for recreational activity.
They might also take your trip as a part of the dark tourism or consider you a reporter who wants to dig out what is happening in Syria, which is enough for them to get offended. So, we have to give them space to wipe out the losses of the civil war.
Why you should:
6. Favourable Weather Condition
Apart from the war and disease threats in the country, you also have to fight with the drastic weather conditions when looking for how to travel to Syria. As it is the land of Mediterranean climate and you can experience the coldest summer as well as the hottest winter. And traveling in extreme weather conditions will hinder your way of exploring the spectacular natural sights. Therefore, you must plan your trip between September and the start of November or from March till the start of May. So, this is the right time in Syria for exploration a recreational activity.
7. Government is Promoting Tourism
The government of Syria claims to gain control over most of Syria's areas and is letting no stone unturned to make the whole country a peaceful place. Along with the effort of making Syria an undistributed land, authorities are also promoting tourism side by side to present the true picture of the current situation to the whole of the world. This probably might not be the answer to your question that "should I travel to Syria", but they have opened the doors to let you in. Also, at the Madrid tourism fair, the authorities claimed to be fully prepared to accommodate as many as two million tourists this year. They are also promoting their resorts, recreational places, and ancient Roman ruins on various platforms, which means they are ready to hold the burden.
8. Getting the Syrian visa
In the past few years, getting a visa for Syria was a lengthy and painful process that marks the question of whether I should travel to Syria. But there is a remarkable improvement in the tourism policy of the country as they have restructured it. You can now get a visa and the booking of the whole tour from the Syrian tourist agencies. These travel agencies are licensed by the Syrian government and look after all the matters starting from Visa Application Approval till your Security Clearance. Once you have the visa in hand, you can enter Syria through any official border. So, within 2-5 days, you get your visa with the tour plan, guide, and all that you need from your selected agency.
9. Help them to rebuild the economy
Till 2010 tourism was one of the most important pillars of the Syrian economy, which started declining, and with an uncontrolled war situation, it got crippled. The damage to the ruins, historic places, and cities further worsen the situation by deriving the foreigners' attention away from this beautiful land. Now what is happening in Syria is that authorities are taking control of most of the areas and trying to eradicate terrorism; they also have to face the unstable economy's side issue. Tourism activity from across the world will be the best way to invest in this rich cultural heritage and scenic beauty as a global community member. Should I travel to Syria is always on everyone's mind? It will help them regain their economic status and open the whole site as a peaceful traveling destination.
10. Way to Promote Peace
Peace is a prerequisite to promote tourism in a country, but in Syria, we can also think of the possibility of doing it in the other way. That is why promoting tourism could be the best way to restore peace in the state, as we have observed before in Sri Lanka. With an increase in tourism activity by 20%, there was a decrease in conflict from 15% to 13%. Also, it's the right time to implement the model in this country when making it terrorism-free is already initiated. So, tourism not only will be a source of economic development, according to Syria news, but it will also contribute to pacing up the peacekeeping activities.
People often wonder where is Syria with its wonderful land and people. Suppose you want to experience the real beauty of what is happening in Syria and a friendly welcome from the people you have to wait for a while to make this destination exploration your lifetime memorable experience. Still, if you want to go there, you have to stick tightly to the allocated plan to avoid any trouble and keep a check on the local Syria news to stay aware of what is happing around.
