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Series of steps
The beach resorts in Latakia, which closed their reservations early during Eid al-Adha and did not half-open the side rooms as usual, remain the last option for holidaymakers who booked a place for themselves late during the Eid holidays. It coincides with the end of the Basic Education and Secondary Education Certificate exams and the beginning of the high season for tourism, which, as its first characteristics show, will be competitive, especially considering the increase in prices, which have increased significantly. The huge jump is not limited to the borders of the hotels, but even affects the cabins along the way, as the saying goes: “No one is better than anyone else … and the sea is the same.”
The options for tourism in Latakia are all there, starting from “five-star” hotels and resorts, moving on to two-star hotels, to cabins, to open beaches and finally to free beaches, “follow your carpet, stretch your feet,” referring to the prices that depend on the star rating and the services offered.
Visiting a “5 star” tourist resort, the first thing the receptionist did was to apologize to customers who called to inquire about bookings during the Eid holiday, saying that there were no rooms left and they had to book after the Eid holiday.
Prices vary depending on the “view” and size, with a wing room costing 1.5 million liras a night, while the “Bahari Suite” that can accommodate four people jumps to 2.2 million liras a night, and then jumps to 3.5 million for a “Duplex Suite” that can accommodate five or six people directly on the sea.
A hotel owner in the mountainous area confirmed that bookings were good during the Eid al-Adha holiday, noting that there were tourists coming from inland provinces who wanted to go to the mountains to enjoy the natural beauty and fresh air, away from the heat and humidity found at the seaside.
Occupancy rate 100%
Fadi Nizam, director of the Latakia Tourism Bureau, confirmed in an interview with Tishreen that during Eid al-Adha, the occupancy rate of hotels within the sea and beach routes was 100%, while the occupancy rate of hotels in the city center was 50-60%, making the provincial occupancy rate over 90%, which shows that most of the bookings during Eid al-Fitr are from inside other provinces, which indicates that expatriates come to Syria in July and August.
Regarding the increase in hotel prices, Nizam said that these prices are determined by the Ministry of Tourism, with the exception of five-star hotels, whose prices are free, adding: The governorate has various tourist facilities according to tourism classification and tourists can choose the one that suits them best, in addition to the popular cabins in Wadi Qandil “La Plage” that belong to the Syrian Tourism and Transport Company, as well as open beaches, not to mention free beaches.
Regarding the measures taken by the Tourism Department to prepare for the tourist season, Nizam stated that coordination has been carried out with administrative units and governorates to increase the number of internal transportation buses on the axes of tourist areas, especially the axis of the beach area of the city of Latakia, which is considered essential, in addition to coordination with the Syrian Tourism and Transport Company to operate buses to Wadi Kandil, and to provide oil derivatives, especially octane gasoline, every day, which was discussed due to the increased pressure, and the Municipal Council was asked to reduce the hours of electricity rationing according to the existing capacities to clean the main streets.
Nizam also pointed out that besides the health committee during Eid and throughout the tourist season, an official from the Department of Tourism is also present to monitor the quality of services and publish the prices in clear places.
He added: We are also keen to organize exhibitions and festivals during the tourist season, with the focus being the Ramita Festival in August next year, events at the Roman amphitheatre at Jabrai Castle, and in Sranfa, Kasab, and Mashqita.
Popular tours… Thoughtful
Given the five-star prices of Velvet Tours and their differences, mass tourism remains a suitable outlet for people with limited incomes, Engineer Fayez Mansour, General Manager of the Syrian Tourism and Transport Company, confirmed to Tishreen that during Eid al-Adha, “La Plage” had a 100% occupancy rate and that before the summer season, they carried out comprehensive maintenance work on the cabins and the “La Plage” hotel, which opened last year. This year, they began to receive visitors before the start of the Basic Education and Secondary Education Certificate exams.
Mansour noted that the prices of accommodation are suitable for most social classes, ranging from 100,000 liras to 300,000 liras for a cabin that can accommodate four people, with prices varying according to the size of the cabin, the number of people and the accommodation conditions. The services provided, especially considering the high operating costs, indicate that electricity is available 24/7, but air conditioning is not always available due to the reliance on alternative energy sources.
In addition to the Wadi Qandil huts, Mansour also pointed out the southern beach of the city of Latakia, where tourists can enter for an entrance fee of 3,000 liras and spend the whole day at the seaside, enjoying the existing services such as baths, games for children and sports games.
While Mansour confirmed the great demand for the chalets at “La Plage”, he explained that this has prompted them to expand construction and add new chalets to increase capacity, since 21 chalets are currently under construction, in addition to the construction of the “La Plage” hotel, which opened last year, including 29 cabins, with new cabins scheduled to open next July.
Regarding the “Karnak” Pullman aircraft of the Syrian Tourism and Transport Company, Mansour explained that trips to Latakia and Tartous are being organized from the governorates and soon a Pullman aircraft will be operated to transport holidaymakers from the Pullman departure center in the city of Latakia to Wadi Dil Ghandir.
Mansour noted that the Ministry of Tourism and the Latakia City Council are currently signing a contract to invest in Ugarit Beach.
The cabin is on the competition line
All options are available for Latakia tourism, depending on the budget allocated for this purpose, especially for those with limited income who consider booking a cabin an acceptable option, especially considering the tiers of accommodation costs according to the location of the cabin, first, second or third, and the electricity rationing plan or providing it with alternative energy sources, depending on the number of rooms in the cabin, its covering and its furniture. Not to mention that the price of accommodation for one day is not the same as for several days, the days of the week are not the same as Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and the Eid holiday is not the same as other days.
On the “Tishreen” tour in many chalets in the city of Latakia, one night in a (super deluxe) chalet coordinated by the first alternative card provider costs between 1-1.5 million liras, between 800 liras for a one-room chalet with a living room – 900 thousand liras, so that the further the chalet is from the sea, one night in a chalet becomes 600-650 thousand liras, and in a third class it becomes 400 thousand liras.
The owner of a chalet on the Blue Beach in the city of Latakia argued that the price increase was due to high costs, whether it was running a generator, filling water tanks or other additional costs that had become very expensive.
October
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