A travel company in Russia is planning to offer tours to Syria next year, including visits to the frontline of the war. According to local media reports, the Megapolis Ltd. has already registered for the trademark “Assad Tour” at the Russian Agency for Patents and Trademarks (Rospatent).
Reports also suggest that the firm has already reached out to the relevant ministries, as well as the Syrian embassy in Russia in order to move forward with the idea. Discussions are already said to be taking place with hotels and transport companies.
The tours will start from Moscow, last around four or five days, and cost around $1,500 without any life insurance.
Anatoly Aronov, the president of the company which assisted in filing the patent application, insisted that Assad Tours would likely exploit the Russian military presence in Syria. He also added that he believed there were always people who wanted to visit war zones or see natural disasters.
Despite all of this, the Russian Federal Tourism Agency has announced that the company is not allowed to sell the trips, given that no official application for authorization to do so has been filed.
In addition to this, sending tourists to conflict zones is illegal for safety reasons, according the Russian Travel Industry Union.
