Syria is mapping out several ambitious projects of lavish tourist resorts in a bid to revive the country's tourism amid the ongoing crisis, Minister of Tourism Besher Yazji said on Thursday.

Yazji made the remark while meeting with Chinese ambassador Zhang Xun on cooperation between the two countries' tourism industries.

During the meeting, Yazji proposed some training program for Syrians, and invited potential investments from China to help develop tourist resorts.

According to the Ministry of Tourism, Syria is planning to develop a raft of resorts in the coastal province of Latakia and one resort near the Palmyra ruins.

The projects, including five-star hotels, golf courses, and yacht clubs, cost up to nearly 5 billion Syrian pounds, or 34 million U.S. dollars, clearly targeting the high-end tourism market.

Yazji said the chosen locations are safe and are well protected by the government military.

For his part, Zhang said that China is looking forward to cooperating with Syria in all sectors, including tourism, to promote the friendship and mutual understanding of the two peoples.

However, the most important issue at present is to find a political solution to solve the Syrian crisis, Zhang added.

As the cradle of many ancient civilizations, Syria has abundant tourist attractions, including six world heritage sites.

However, many of the attractions have been destroyed or are facing grave threats in the long-standing civil conflict, and UNESCO has listed all six of Syria's world heritage sites as endangered in June.