00:00 On the occasion of World Tourist Day celebration, Syria hosted the first edition of the Shore
00:05 Festival in the coastal province of Zlatakia.
00:08 The event is part of the government's efforts to restore the vitality of the sector which
00:12 has been severely damaged by the war.
00:14 Our correspondent from Damascus, Hesham Wanous, has more details.
00:21 Based on the theme of green tourism and investment, chosen this year by the World Tourism Organization
00:26 and named the Festival of Shores, the event, which is the first of its kind in Syria, took
00:32 place in the villages of Qasmin and An al-Bayda, in the coastal governorate of Zlatakia, sites
00:37 that enjoy authentic and enchanting nature and the rich environmental diversity that
00:42 combines forests, rivers and lakes.
00:45 Syria, after a fierce 12-year war, demonstrates through this activity that life has not stopped
00:51 in the country and confirms that it continues to be part of the global trend of promoting
00:56 environmental tourism and green tourism investment.
01:00 In parallel with preserving our forests, traditions and heritage, and through this festival the
01:05 Syrian people ratify their attachment to life, full of faith and hope in overcoming the difficult
01:11 conditions that their country is experiencing.
01:14 Despite the military, political and economic war unleashed against Syria and its people,
01:19 we show that from the heart of hardship hope is reborn and love flourishes and we do it
01:25 by organizing this tourism festival that highlights the beauty of the nature of our country and
01:31 the authenticity of our traditions and crafts and this is the main message that we address
01:36 to the whole world through this activity.
01:40 In order to contribute to rural development, highlight the region's handicrafts and heritage,
01:45 and publicize the beauty of its nature and its tourist and cultural attractions, the
01:53 festival included drawing workshops for new talents who, together with veteran visual
01:56 artists and in an atmosphere of harmony with nature, captured in their paintings, together
02:01 with other participants in the festival, in exhibitions of handicrafts, photography and
02:06 homemade products of rural women, the attachment of the Syrian to life in defiance to the adversities,
02:14 difficulties and setbacks caused by the war and the blockade.
02:20 The organization of this festival sends a message to the entire Arab world and the entire
02:25 planet that the Syrian people remain steadfast and productive and that the movement of visual
02:30 art in Syria will not stop as long as our hearts beat as artists' songs of this homeland
02:36 and that this perseverance and attachment to life will endure from generation to generation.
02:44 In the midst of the difficult economic conditions in the country, I decided to develop my own
02:49 mini-budget to improve my economic situation and help my family, and so I dedicated myself
02:56 to producing organic food based on natural components of the area and I have been very
03:01 successful since my products, in addition to local consumers, are in demand in the United
03:07 Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Germany.
03:12 The book exhibition shared the stage with other activities of the festival, which also
03:16 included guided tours of the museums of traditional crafts and trades of the area and a musical
03:21 concert of traditional songs of the country.
03:26 A comprehensive festival that in addition to showcasing the landscape as a green and
03:30 natural tourist attraction highlighted the qualities of the human element that inhabits
03:35 this region of Syria.
03:39 As a productive and cultured component determined to preserve and enrich the traditional cultural
03:44 and natural heritage of its country.
Comments