Our last day in Syria was a big one. Our original itinerary simply had us spending the morning in Damascus before crossing back into Lebanon, but I really wanted to visit Bosra, which is located about a 2 hours drive south-east of Damascus.

Getting the permission to visit this site isn’t quite as straightforward as the other places we had visited in Syria. Unlike everywhere else we had visited on this trip, Bosra is located in an area that is not held by the Assad regime, but by the Free Syrian Army. Given that the Free Syrian Army’s end goal is to end Assad’s reign in Syria, I was quite surprised that we were successfully granted permission to enter.

Ghassan had been here the week earlier with his previous guest and it had taken 45 minutes to get through the security checkpoints to enter the FSA zone, however, we were literally waved through in less than a few minutes – Ghassan mentioned that this was likely because we had a female sitting in the front seat, lel, I’ll take the wins when we get them!

Furthermore, Ghassan eventually disclosed that this was actually only the second time since the beginning of the civil war that he had come to Bosra, furthermore, the week prior with his previous guest they had only been permitted to enter the amphitheatre, but somehow we had gained permission to traverse the entire site – it was seriously humbling to hear him tell us that.

So why Bosra?

Bosra was once the capital of Arabia (a Roman province) and was an important stopover point for people travelling towards Mecca. Dating back to the 2nd century, much of these ruins is in poor condition with the notable exception of the amphitheatre – which has got to be one of the most impressive and most well preserved examples of Roman architecture that I have ever seen.

Walking out of a corridor and finding this view in front of me was a truly breathtaking experience.

To me, it was worth the extra cost, extra time in the car and the big ‘ole detour just for this view. If this had been all we were able to see whilst in Bosra, it would absolutely have been worth the effort.

However, we were fortunate enough to be able to explore more of the complex. Despite not having visited this part of Bosra in well over a decade, Ghassan easily navigated us around. He clearly knew the site very well, but there was an element of sadness knowing that much of the ruins had been damaged and probably looked vastly different the last time he had seen them.

However, if his mood was somber, he certainly didn’t let us see it.

From Bosra we drove all the way back to Damascus and said our goodbyes to Ghassan and Emad. I had grown incredibly fond of them both and was sad to say goodbye.

It was a really strange experience to leave Syria and it wasn’t lost on me that this was a privilege that many do not have. Furthermore it is a deeply saddening fact that many Syrians are unable to return home. We had had an unbelievable time in Syria but we had the freedom to leave whenever we needed or wanted, something that is impossible for so many others.

So let’s discuss the ethics of travelling to a place like Syria.

It’s a complicated subject and one that people will view and perceive in many different ways.

I have written and rewritten this over and over again. This is not an easy subject and I am certainly no expert in the matter. Furthermore, I am hesitant to delve too deeply into certain political topics because as I write this from the comfort of my home in Australia I am acutely aware that I am unlikely to bear the consequences of voicing my own opinions, but that that may not be true for others.

When I travelled to Syria I received a barrage of comments asserting that my decision to travel there meant that I supported those in power – this is a simplistic way of thinking and ultimately, an incorrect assertion. The idea that simply visiting a country equates to supporting the people in power is a complete and utter fallacy, and to me, shows a very black and white way of thinking.

I am a firm believer that the actions of governments or regimes do not represent those of the people living under the thumb of them and furthermore, if you were to limit your travels only to countries who have ethical governments, you certainly won’t be doing any travelling.

Having had the opportunity to meet, speak with and learn from regular people living within Syria, politics were not at all discussed, instead, the overwhelming sentiment that I heard was that people just want their lives to return to some sense of normalcy. People want a better economy and financial stability, they want improvement of infrastructure and they want people to stop thinking of Syria as nothing but a warzone. We were overwhelmingly welcomed into the country by Syrian people, many of whom told us that they were happy to see tourists as it brings hope that the country is returning to normal.

Whilst it is true that some of your tourist dollars do go to those in power, it is also true that tourism dollars help local people who are currently living during an appalling economic crisis. If you argue that Syrian tourism shouldn’t be happening, you are also essentially arguing that you support continued international isolation and continued economic crippling of Syria and its people.

Syria is an incredibly diverse country with a hugely complicated political situation and tourism certainly isn’t going to change that, but it can enact small scale positive change to the lives of people who benefit from it.

I have found a blog from a small scale tour operator discussing the ethics of Syrian tourism at length and it is absolutely worth reading – check it out here.

So, ultimately, is tourism in Syria ethical?

The answer isn’t exactly black and white and as I said above, I do not to claim to be an expert in the subject. There are things that I have done in my travels that I had believed ethical at the time only to look back on them with a very different point of view years later. I did a lot of thinking and research before deciding to travel to Syria and only ended up actually doing so because I believed that it contributed more good to the country than bad, a view which over a year post this trip, I still hold.

Overall, I believe tourism provides opportunities for positive change within the country, something which is unfortunately very rare in Syria right now.

THE LOWDOWN

Golden Target Tours: This tour company came highly recommended and I can keep those high recommendations coming. Don’t let the lack of a website fool you, the owner Khaldoun is a real pro and responds to any enquiries very quickly and consistently – contact him through whatsapp on +963 944 372 700 to discuss planning a trip through Syria. Make sure to ask for Ghassan and Emad as your crew!
Bosra: Visiting this area requires special permission and the area has to potential to be a site of instability, it is absolutely worth the trip but caution must be taken if you plan to do so
Remember: The ethics of travelling to Syria are complex, it is up to you to decide if travel to a place like Syria is something you feel okay to do

At the time this post goes live Ella and I will travelling from Paris to Singapore so make sure to follow along on instagram (@adventurouselle) and/or tiktok (@adventurous_elle) to keep up to date with our adventures!