While the fall of the Assad regime and the political transition in Syria have generated questions about the future stability of the country, tourism companies that were operating in Assad-held Syria and served as the most reliable means for foreign tourists to visit those parts of Syria in the years of the war prior to the regime's fall are nonetheless still in business and keen for visitors to come. Of course, I share this sentiment and very much urge people to visit Syria for tourism purposes: the country has a wealth of tourism sites to offer and the country is in need of foreign cash flow to help the economy, amid sluggishness and reluctance on the part of various countries (especially the United States) to lift sanctions and reduce Syria's international isolation.
It should be noted that prior to the fall of the Assad regime, these tourism companies could not serve as a means for journalists to gain access for reporting trips. Rather, the regime required that anyone known to have a link with journalism, regardless of intent in visiting, had to get special permission to visit the country by applying at a Syrian embassy. Of course, given that Syrian embassies were closed in many Western countries that had cut relations with the Assad regime, this often meant that Western journalists had to go to one of the embassies in Syria's neighbours (particularly Lebanon and Jordan).
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