Türkiye and Syria Push to Expand Regional Tourism Ties at Adana Forum

Officials from Türkiye and Syria gathered in Adana on Friday for the Third Turkish-Syrian Regional Tourism Meeting, aimed at strengthening cross-border tourism and increasing both countries' share of the global market.

Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Atilla Koç called for deeper cooperation among Türkiye, Syria, and Egypt, and suggested Tunisia could eventually join the partnership. He expressed hope that ferry service between Mersin and the Syrian port of Latakia would begin soon, and urged the launch of direct flights from Damascus to Antalya, Istanbul, and Izmir.

Syrian Tourism Minister Sadallah Agha al-Qala noted that the initiative began in Mersin in September 2004 and continued in Aleppo in May 2005. He said 690,000 Syrians visited Türkiye the previous year, compared with 170,000 Turks traveling to Syria.

Al-Qala said both sides want to create better conditions for tourism investors and called for eliminating visa requirements for tourists, noting that travel agencies in both countries had recently been signing bilateral agreements to expand activity.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in April 2006, in its own words.