The Syrian Ministry of Tourism, in cooperation with private sector stakeholders, has announced the launch of the first edition of the "Syrian Travel Expo 2026," describing it as a specialized platform bringing together actors in the travel, tourism, and hospitality investment sectors from inside and outside Syria.
The announcement comes at a time when the tourism sector in the Middle East and Africa is experiencing accelerated growth rates.
According to a statement by the Ministry of Tourism, obtained by Enab Baladi, the expo will focus on travel, tourism, and hotel investment. It is scheduled to take place in Damascus between April 14 and 16.
The event aims to highlight Syria's cultural tourism assets, strengthen heritage preservation efforts, and showcase investment opportunities in the hospitality sector. It also seeks to expand international partnerships in travel and tourism-related fields.
The expo targets international tour operators, travel agencies, tourism investors, cultural tourism specialists, and regional and international media, reinforcing its role as a professional platform for dialogue, partnership-building, and knowledge exchange.
The ministry said the initiative reflects the accelerating recovery of Syria's tourism sector and aims to consolidate the country's position within the regional tourism landscape.
Regional growth indicators
The announcement aligns with encouraging regional indicators. The travel and tourism sector in the Middle East recorded 3% growth in 2025, representing a 39% increase compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to data from the World Tourism Organization.
A report by the World Travel and Tourism Council also showed that the sector in the region achieved growth exceeding 25% in 2023, with continued positive projections for the coming years, reflecting the rising economic weight of this vital sector.
Figures reflect renewed confidence
The launch of the expo coincides with Syria recording approximately 3.56 million visitors and tourists, including Syrians, Arabs, and foreigners. This marks an increase of around 80% in the number of Arab and foreign tourists compared to the period following the country's "liberation" in December 2024 through the end of November 2025.
According to previous statements by the Ministry of Tourism, these figures indicate renewed confidence in Syria as a tourist destination and growing regional and international interest.
A strategic regional platform
The "Syrian Travel Expo 2026" represents a strategic platform to translate this momentum into tangible partnerships and investments, the ministry said, and to strengthen Syria's position on the regional and international tourism map.
The event will bring together official bodies, investors, hospitality operators, tour organizers, and hotel management companies to enhance partnerships, expand the investment base, and highlight development opportunities across various governorates. The focus will include urban hotel projects, adaptive reuse of heritage buildings, development of coastal resorts, and support for rural and community-based tourism.
"Vision": Tourism as an economic driver
Commenting on the launch, Minister of Tourism Mazen al-Salhani said that the expo comes as part of the ministry's ongoing reform and development path for the sector.
He added that Syria's tourism sector is regaining its position as a key productive sector that contributes to activating economic value chains, creating job opportunities, and enhancing local community participation in the development process, ensuring more balanced and sustainable revenue distribution.
Al-Salhani said the ministry is working to align the regulatory environment with international best practices and to update operational and service quality standards, in a way that strengthens the Syrian tourism market's ability to attract long-term investments and boost its regional competitiveness.
For his part, Deputy Minister of Tourism for Hotels and Quality Affairs Faraj al-Qashqous said that Syria is returning to the regional tourism scene as a renewed player with exceptional assets and a unique diversity of tourism products, ranging from cultural and heritage tourism to eco-tourism, religious tourism, leisure tourism, and business travel.
Al-Qashqous added that the momentum witnessed in the Middle East travel and tourism sector opens a real opportunity for Syria to contribute to this growth, drawing on its rich geographic and cultural diversity and a gradual recovery process encompassing tourism-related sectors, from transport and roads to infrastructure and supporting services.
"We are not only returning as a destination, but as an active part of the region's tourism growth dynamics," the deputy minister said, outlining a clear vision to enhance Syria's contribution at both the regional and international levels.
Damascus on the travel exhibition map
The expo is expected to attract wide regional and international participation, at a time when the region is witnessing increasing competition to capture travel flows and tourism investment, particularly amid a growing shift toward authentic cultural experiences and sustainable tourism.
The Syrian Travel Expo 2026 represents a practical step to translate the positive figures recorded in 2025 into an organized business environment, according to the ministry, contributing to increased capacity, expanded partnership networks, and a higher contribution of tourism to Syria's gross domestic product in the coming years.
