After the Syrian dictator, Bashar al-Assad, was toppled and fled to Moscow, Western journalists – including Bel Trew of The Independent – have been uncovering the full horror of a civil war that cost hundreds of thousands of lives. The Assad regime prosecuted the war on its own citizens with chemical weapons, and tortured opponents with extreme cruelty.
As Assad and his Russian allies waged war on Syrian citizens, many parts of the country were devastated by bombing and shelling.
The rebel group that has taken over Syria, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), remains a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK. In 2017 the British government said HTS was to be treated as simply another name for al Qaida – the terrorist group once led by Osama bin Laden and responsible for the 9/11 attacks on America.
Yet a British tour operator is planning to resume holidays in Syria as early as April – even though the Foreign Office warns against all travel to Syria, “due to the ongoing conflict and unpredictable security conditions”.
Dylan Harris, founder of the extreme adventure company Lupine Travel, told the You Should Have Been There travel podcast: “As soon as it becomes apparent that things are stable, I could run trips immediately.
“If things run smoothly with the government transition, we’d look to resume tours in April – just after the end of Ramadan.”
But would such a trip be both irresponsible and insensitive at a time when Syrians are coming to terms with the extent of the tragedy that has visited their country? These are the key questions and answers.
What is the appeal of Syria to tourists?
Sean Kennedy, an entrepreneur, travelled to Syria in May 2009. He told The Independent: “We spent 10 unforgettable days traveling on an independent round trip through Syria, visiting Damascus, Homs, Aleppo, and Palmyra. Each destination left its own unique impression, and the journey was filled with remarkable sights and extraordinary hospitality.
“In Damascus, our hotel was near the 3rd-century Roman Gate, the Bab Sharqi (East Gate), and just a short distance from the magnificent Umayyad Mosque, one of the holiest sites in Islam. The mosque is said to house the head of John the Baptist, and the street itself is famously associated with Saul, later known as St. Paul, who converted ‘on the road to…
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