Addressing Ethical Challenges in Syrian Tourism: A New Path with Blockchain and the Metaverse

Syria is one of the most beautiful, culturally diverse, and historically profound countries in the world. It is home to two of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities, boasts six UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and is celebrated for having one of the finest cuisines globally, a true traveler’s dream! However, this once-thriving tourist destination was devastated by a 13-year war under the oppressive regime of Bashar al-Assad. While this regime was toppled in December 2024, the period under war made it a dangerous place to visit. That said, few intrepid tourists had continued visiting the country, often referred to as ‘dark tourists’, contributing to unethical tourism practices. Blockchain technology and the metaverse have the potential to alleviate some of these pressures and help revive an ‘ethical’ practice of tourism in Syria.

Syria’s Tourism Problem

Since 2011, Syria had been engulfed in brutal conflict on multiple fronts, driven by Assad’s oppressive regime. This turmoil forced over 12 million people to flee their homes, both within Syria and beyond its borders, it also resulted in hundreds of thousands of civilian casualties and over $22 billion in destroyed infrastructure (Statista, 2024).

Syria’s tourism industry, once vibrant and welcoming nearly 9 million visitors annually before 2011 (wikipedia), has suffered a profound collapse as a result of the war. The bustling markets, ancient sites, and cultural festivals that once drew travelers from around the world sat largely empty, leaving a once-thriving sector in ruins. This loss extended beyond economic damage; it represented a fading connection to Syria’s rich heritage and the unique experiences it could offer the world.

Interestingly, tourism in Syria has shown signs of revival in recent years. Tour groups with adventure influencers and war tourists have been increasingly drawn to the country, captivated not only by its rich cultural heritage but also by the complex, current situation that continues to shape it.

This raised a crucial ethical dilemma surrounding tourism during war time: is it appropriate to normalize travel to a country headed by a state perpetuating war crimes? When the country was governed by the al-Assad regime, every visa fee, hotel tax, and payment to mandatory government-approved tour groups inadvertently funded the very system that perpetuated suffering for many Syrians.

And now that the al-Assad regime is no longer in charge, there is potential for tourism to resume; but it might be some time before the infrastructure can support an influx of visitors.

Blockchain and the Metaverse

How, then, can Syria share its culture and history, and gain a voice on the world tourism stage and empower its people?

A potential solution: innovative technologies. 

Virtual reality and augmented reality have been widely discussed in tourism, particularly as a tool for destinations impacted by war, humanitarian crises, and/or natural disasters. To build upon these established concepts, this article offers an alternative: a blockchain-empowered decentralized digital twin on the Metaverse. 

Blockchain is a decentralized technology that securely records transactions immutably and transparently, while the Metaverse is a digital universe that exists in parallel with the physical world (Buhalis, 2023). Together, these innovative technologies have the potential to revolutionize Syrian tourism by empowering the country’s cultural and historical narrative while directing revenue toward local communities.

The Metaverse offers a platform where Syrian culture, art, and history can be showcased and celebrated, accessible to anyone with an internet connection. Much like Tuvalu, the Pacific Island nation preserving its heritage digitally as it faces extinction due to rising sea levels, Syria, too, can bring its tourism industry into the Metaverse, allowing its rich cultural legacy to reach a global audience regardless of the physical limitations (Accenture, 2022).

The Metaverse can serve as a digital marketplace where local vendors offer their goods, recreating the effect of wandering through bustling souks. Cryptocurrencies can be used by digital tourists to reliably and ethically facilitate purchases of artisanal products. This technology allows for transparent, traceable payments, ensuring funds directly support local communities or ethical businesses. These payments can be managed and monitored by Syrian civil society groups in the diaspora, such as the Syrian-British Society of the Built Environment, a non-political, non-profit organization that unites engineers and environmentalists to find sustainable solutions for Syria’s built environment.

In order to implement this vision for Syrian tourism, several key elements must align. Firstly, Syrian civil societies in the diaspora need to come together to establishing a digital twin for Syrian tourism on the Metaverse and integrating cryptocurrency to facilitate ethical transactions between eager tourists and local Syrian communities. Secondly, when discussing the Syrian diaspora, it is essential to emphasise the critical role of the youth in promoting and empowering their culture, as they represent the country’s future and are among the most technologically skilled. Moreover, the diaspora holds a global voice capable of re-establishing Syria on the world tourism stage. Finally, a Syrian tourism board should be established for the Metaverse to ensure that Syrian cultural heritage is authentically and meaningfully safeguarded. This board would also ensure that funds reach local communities, fostering genuine economic support with no political influence.

In conclusion, Syria faces a major tourism problem; however, innovative technologies like the Metaverse and Blockchain hold the potential to revitalize Syrian tourism by providing a platform that ethically supports and empowers the local population.

This blog post was awarded Second Place in the Fall 2024 HFTP/MS Global Hospitality Business Graduate Student Blog Competition presented by the HFTP Foundation. Participants are students participating in the Master of Science in Global Hospitality Business, a partnership between the Conrad N. Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership at the University of Houston, the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at Hong Kong Polytechnic University and EHL. The blog posts that received the top scores will be published on HFTP Connect. Learn more at HFTP News.

About the Author

Jimmy Rowan is a graduate student of the Master in Global Hospitality Business, a partnership between three world-leading hospitality management schools over three continents: EHL Hospitality Business School, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and the University of Houston. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Chinese studies from Durham University and is deeply interested in the intersection of history, culture, and tourism. 

References

• Accenture. (2022). Metaverse climate change: Tuvalu case study. Accenture.

• Buhalis, D., Leung, D., & Lin, M. (2023). Metaverse as a disruptive technology revolutionising tourism management and marketing. Tourism Management, 97.

• Bennetts, Marc. (2019). Russian travel agencies sell tours of Syria. The Times.

• Statista. (2024). The Syrian Civil War. Statista.

• Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC). (2021). The “Post-War” tour: How tourism is empowering the Syrian government. Syria Justice and Accountability Centre.