Tourism in Syria

Although Syria has some of the oldest cities in Western Asia, such as Damascus and Aleppo (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), tourism in Syria was greatly reduced by the 2011-2024 Syrian War, and its associated refugee crisis. Tourism was further impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in Syria starting in March 2020. The international economic sanctions imposed on Syria and the sharp drop in the value of the Syrian pound also adversely impact tourism in Syria. The Ministry of Tourism is the responsible government department.

Before the start of the Syrian Civil War, 8.5 million tourists visited Syria in 2010, who brought in tourist revenue estimated at LS 30.8 billion (US$8.4 billion, at 2010 rates), and accounted for 14% of the country's economy. By 2015, the number of tourists had declined by more than 98%, to 170,000.

Many tourist attractions were damaged or destroyed by shelling, flights by all major airlines were suspended, and many major tourist hotels closed. However tourist numbers increased a lot in 2025. In 2026 the minister estimated that 100 billion USD investment is needed to revive Syria's tourism industry.