Latakia's beach clubs and bikinis signal a new era for post-Assad Syria

Monocle reports on Latakia, Syria's main port, as it tests a new life after the fall of Bashar al-Assad. The city, once a political power base for the Assad regime, now sees women in bikinis at private beach clubs while public beaches enforce modest dress codes. Ahmed al-Sharaa, leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, was appointed president in January 2025. The tourism ministry issued rules in June 2025 requiring modest swimwear at public beaches but allowing Western-style swimwear at private resorts. New beach clubs like Hola, owned by Manaf Kaddour, attract locals and visitors from Damascus, Aleppo, and Idlib. The tourism police, led by Osama Marandi, includes 225 officers (50 women) and aims to provide security without being a morality police. Syria signed tourism investment contracts worth €1.3bn last year. The US lifted sanctions on Syria during Donald Trump's Gulf visit in 2025. Despite optimism, residents express caution, with one saying, 'We need time to fully trust these new guys.'