Syrian Arab News Agency 19 October, 2004 Tourism Ministry’s recent statistics showed a 52% increase in the total number of the incoming Arab and foreign tourists during the first 8 months of 2004.
The number reached 4.22 millions in comparison to 2.78 millions of the same period in 2003, al-Baath daily said Sunday.
For the overnight stay or stop tourists, the number exceeded 2.4 million comparing to 1.36 million for the same period last year. The numbers show an increase of 59 % for this year, al-Baath added.
The statistics stated that the first 8 months of this year witnessed a big increase in the numbers of the overnight stay or stop tourists from the neighboring and Gulf countries.
The number reached 2.1 million for the year 2004 from 1.4 for the year 2003, where the increase is estimated at 53 % and with annual average growth estimated at 25%, the paper stressed.
The Ministry of Tourism attributed this increase to the improvement of the Syrian tourist products, like restaurants, shopping markets and other tourist facilities. |