US comedian Trevor Noah mocks Syrian regime tourism campaign
US comedian Trevor Noah mocks Syrian regime tourism campaign
Video: ‘The only thing harder than being a civilian in Syria is being the Minister of Tourism in Syria.’
2 min read
08 Sep, 2016
![American comedian Trevor Noah mocks Syria’s tourism advert [Getty]](https://www.newarab.com/sites/default/files/media/images/6E5BB3E2-90A3-45B0-B6E2-A950A50FBB48.jpg "American comedian Trevor Noah mocks Syria’s tourism advert [Getty]")
Watch now: "Focus less on ads and more on not blowing people up" [Getty]
Baffled by Syria's advert inviting tourists to its "beautiful" beaches while a bloody civil war rages on a few kilometres away?
You’re not alone.
Despite the bloodshed, the millions of people fleeing to the borders and chemical weapons used against civilians who stay, Syria, apparently, is still safe enough for sun-seeking tourists.
The now-viral video released last week by the embattled country’s tourism board has left the rest of the world perplexed.
Not least American TV host Trevor Noah, who had some vital advice for Syrian officials during his sketch on The Daily Show - focus less on ads, and more on not blowing people up.
He told viewers: “Whenever you hear Syria, what are the first things you think of?
“A terrible civil war, airstrikes killing civilians, the bustling poetry scene and of course Assad committing war crimes by using chemical weapons on his own people, and it’s all driving millions of people to leave Syria.
“Which may be why, and this is completely true, the Syrian government recently released a tourism video to attract visitors to the country.”
After playing the short clip, Noah evisaged how the jobsworth minister would have struggled to say anything positive: “Did you notice the ad had no words? Yeah, it’s almost like the minister said, ‘What do you want me to write? I don’t know what to say. What am I going to say to them? You think of something. I can’t think of anything.’
‘Just show the beach, the one beach we have left. Show them that one.’
Noah continued: “Syria, here’s a quick tip – if you want to encourage people to come to your county, maybe you should focus less on ads and more on not blowing people up. That’s the first step.
“For instance, look at Las Vegas, they have a great tourism campaign. But first, they had to end the bloody civil war between Blue Man Group and Cirque du Soleil. They had to start somewhere.”
You’re not alone.
Despite the bloodshed, the millions of people fleeing to the borders and chemical weapons used against civilians who stay, Syria, apparently, is still safe enough for sun-seeking tourists.
The now-viral video released last week by the embattled country’s tourism board has left the rest of the world perplexed.
Not least American TV host Trevor Noah, who had some vital advice for Syrian officials during his sketch on The Daily Show - focus less on ads, and more on not blowing people up.
He told viewers: “Whenever you hear Syria, what are the first things you think of?
“A terrible civil war, airstrikes killing civilians, the bustling poetry scene and of course Assad committing war crimes by using chemical weapons on his own people, and it’s all driving millions of people to leave Syria.
“Which may be why, and this is completely true, the Syrian government recently released a tourism video to attract visitors to the country.”
After playing the short clip, Noah evisaged how the jobsworth minister would have struggled to say anything positive: “Did you notice the ad had no words? Yeah, it’s almost like the minister said, ‘What do you want me to write? I don’t know what to say. What am I going to say to them? You think of something. I can’t think of anything.’
‘Just show the beach, the one beach we have left. Show them that one.’
Noah continued: “Syria, here’s a quick tip – if you want to encourage people to come to your county, maybe you should focus less on ads and more on not blowing people up. That’s the first step.
“For instance, look at Las Vegas, they have a great tourism campaign. But first, they had to end the bloody civil war between Blue Man Group and Cirque du Soleil. They had to start somewhere.”
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