The Syrian Future Movement welcomes the signing of a memorandum of understanding by the Syrian Ministry of Tourism with SIDH and IDH, affiliated with the International Inventure Group, on Sunday, July 5, 2025, to implement major tourism and development projects with a total value estimated at $8 billion. It considers this a step that carries positive indicators for revitalizing economic activity.
The Syrian Future Movement believes that developing tourist cities based on modern models can be a real boost to GDP. However, this requires the design of well-thought-out projects with realistic long-term economic returns, especially given limited market confidence and the challenges of capital recovery.The expected payback period for these projects also requires a long-term view and flexible financial tools that address local and regional market fluctuations, including inflation and changes in commodity and energy prices.
The Syrian Future Movement welcomes expanding the partner base to include sovereign wealth funds and experienced development banks, provided that partnerships are subject to independent external evaluations and good governance standards. We believe that financing should be structured in a blended manner, including direct investments, development loans, and regulated government contributions, with clear definitions of the parties’ responsibilities and terms.
The Syrian Future Movement emphasizes the urgent need to reform the legal and investment system through new legislation that enhances transparency and ensures the protection of the rights of both local and foreign investors. We also emphasize the importance of forming independent oversight bodies to monitor implementation stages, evaluate performance, and receive complaints and feedback to ensure public benefit and that the project does not deviate from its development objectives.
The Syrian Future Movement emphasizes that any urban or tourism development must take into account environmental impact and be subject to in-depth assessment studies before proceeding. We also call for the adoption of international standards for natural resource management and the avoidance of environmental violations that may result from poor planning or the uncontrolled exploitation of sensitive areas.
The Syrian Future Movement believes that these projects should be part of a comprehensive national economic plan that takes into account the equitable distribution of opportunities and the involvement of local communities in development, rather than being managed in isolation from societal priorities. We call for the adoption of public-private partnership contracts based on OECD models, and the establishment of a sovereign fund dedicated to the tourism sector, managed transparently and directed toward rehabilitating heritage sites and developing local talent.
The Syrian Future Movement affirms that true investment is not measured by the amount of funds allocated, but rather by the fair distribution of returns, the transparency of implementation, and the sustainability of economic and social growth. We place this vision within the framework of our efforts to build a modern, just, and advanced state that places human beings at the center and goal of development.
