Damascus, (SANA) _Syria has always been famous for therapeutic tourism, particularly after the 7th century where many ancient bathhouses and bimaristans used to receive patients from all over the world.

Today, the Ministry of Tourism is working on preparing promotional studies on the Syrian tourist products, particularly the therapeutic tourism after inspecting the pioneer expertise of other countries in this domain.

Director of Promotion Department at the Ministry Bana Tamim told SANA that the Ministry's plan on upgrading the situation of the therapeutic tourism over the coming years is mainly based on building tourist facilities across the Syrian provinces in addition to activating other types of tourism through building several malls and theme parks.

Bana indicated that therapeutic tourism has witnessed remarkable steps over the last few years due to the medical developments and the low prices of medicines in the country as a large number of Syrian expatriates visit their motherland in summer for treatment.

She underlined the importance of therapeutic tourism in investment, adding that the Ministry of Tourism has invested many therapeutic sites such as the sulfuric springs which have become very important tourist attractions.

The natural hot mineral spring resort of Nabe al-Hayat (Fountain of Life), located in Jbab Village in Daraa, southern Syria, has been acquiring an increasing fame for the various therapeutic services it offers.

Tourists and patients come from foreign and Arab countries seeking natural treatments among other services available at the resort.

Bana said there are many sites in Syria which could be invested in therapeutic tourism in the future such as the sulfuric and mineral springs including Abou Rabah Bathhouses in Homs, Queen Zenobia and Afqa Spring in Palmyra and others.

She pointed out that the number of tourists who visited Syria for therapeutic purposes hit 5 percent of the total number of tourists in 2009 as the total number of tourists amounted to 6,1 millions of which 304,550 sought treatment at the therapeutic tourism sites.

She added that the 6th Syrian International Tourism Investment Market Forum proposed 92 investment projects, four of which were for therapeutic tourism in several sites such as Afqa Spring in Homs, Sport Facilities Land in Aleppo, the project of al-Sheikh Issa Bathhouses in Idleb and the site of Salib al-Turkman No.1 in Lattakia.

Ruaa al-Jazaeri /al-Ibrahim /Zahra