DOI number:10.18280/ijsdp.150610

Journal:International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning

Key Words:cultural tourism, cultural routes, cultural corridors, tourism destination, the spiritual route, creative tourism, slow tourism, sustainability, sustainable tourism, SWOT analysis

Abstract:Cultural routes and associated cultural tourism are innovative, broadly networked, and designed tourism systems that serve multiple purposes. Cultural routes had become a tool for maintaining destinations and promoting tourism simultaneously. This study assesses the potential of cultural routes in rebuilding Syria’s dire tourism infrastructure situation after the war. The aim is to examine whether the "Spiritual Route" proposed by the Syrian Ministry of Tourism has the potential to attract tourists and reinstate itself as a sustainable route generating benefits for all stakeholders. The purpose is to determine the potential the “Spiritual Route” has for tourism and how it may attract people. Data has been obtained from a literature review and reconstructed from interviews and information from tourism databases and concerned personnel on its history, geography, and potential as a sustainable culture. The results from a SWOT analysis and the literature review revealed that the “Spiritual Route” has the potential to become a primary tourism attraction for a wide audience. This can be achieved by linking the tangible heritages of different geographical areas if planning and development are appropriate; however, the current internal situation of the war is a substantial hindrance. These principal findings can contribute as a valuable review in highlighting key limitations to be dealt with by decision-makers of Syria’s “Spiritual Route” and others working on similar cultural routes in post-war Syria.

Indexed by:Journal paper

Document Type:J

Volume:15

Issue:6

Page Number:865-874

ISSN No.:1743-7601

Translation or Not:no

Date of Publication:2020-03-20

Included Journals:EI

Links to published journals:https://www.iieta.org/journals/ijsdp/paper/10.18280/ijsdp.150610

First Author:Bashar Dayoub

Co-author:杨培峰,Alaa Dayoub,Sarah Omran

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