Syria approves five-star resort on Mediterranean coast
(AFP, DAMASCUS) - Syria has given the go-ahead for the construction of a 36,450 square-meter (392,200 square-foot) five-star hotel on the Mediterranean coast, complete with its own port and island, the government press said Saturday.
The country's tourism authority has approved the plan for the 40-million-dollar project in the city of Latakia put forward by Syria's Arab Development Group and Saudi Arabia's Bin Laden Group, the state newspaper Tishrin said.
The hotel, billed as "one of the largest Arab tourism projects in Syria," will have 190 rooms and chalets, a 15,000 square-meter (161,400 square-foot) island, a port, several restaurants and a business center.
Four Saudi firms announced Friday the creation of a holding group with up to 100 million dollars to finance development projects in Syria.
The announcements come less than a week after the approval of President-elect Bashar al-Assad, who was called for an opening of the country's economy.
© Agence France-Presse 2000
© 2000 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
