Yemens Plea at World Travel Market: Judge Us According to The Real Situation [Archives:2000/49/Reportage]

Karen Dabrowska
The recently-established Yemen Tourist Promotion Board and Universal Travel and Tourism joined over 5000 exhibitors from 177 countries at the World Travel Market 2000 in London last week.
Other Middle Eastern countries with major stands were Dubai, Oman, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. Libya participated for the first time as did Rwanda, Tahiti and Fiji.
Brochures, postcards and an impressive collection of statistics which revealed that by the end of 2000 the number of hotel rooms in Yemen will have increased by 50% on the 1996 figure, introduced the country to visitors.
At the crossroads of Asia, Africa and Europe, Yemen was a centre of world trade in ancient times. The country was referred to by Roman geographers as Arabia Felix, or Happy Arabia because of its great wealth. Frankincense and other aromatic trees were cultivated in the ancient kingdom of Hadhramaut and fetched handsome profits on the vibrant international market. Under the rule of the Queen of Sheba, legendary bride of King Solomon, Yemens wealth and advanced civilization achieved worldwide recognition. The giant dam of Marib stretched across a five-mile area and was listed among the wonders of the ancient world.
On the brink of modernity, Yemen today offers visitors an exciting mix of ancient ruins, bustling marketplaces, medieval monuments and modern architecture, dispersed throughout a landscape of unexpected beauty and majesty. The thatched huts along the coastal plain, the rock castles in the mountains, the Bedouin tents in the desert region and the mud-brick skyscrapers in the east are indicative of the diversity of this unique and mysterious land.
The countrys tourist potential was recognized by the European Union and in August a two-year tripartite tourism development program was financed by the community, the government and the private sector. There are now 200 tourist agencies in Yemen.
The airports at Hadhramaut, Aden and Socotra, a subtropical wonderland, have been upgraded and the number of international flights has been increased. Socotra (the worlds largest surviving subtropical island), Otmah, Boraa and Sharma have been designated protected areas.
But the industry is still suffering from the serious blow dealt to tourism by the kidnapping of 16 Western hostages in December 1998 and the death of four in a gun battle between the kidnappers and government forces.
The incident resulted in a dire warning from Britains Foreign and Commonwealth Office: We advise against all travel to Yemen. This travel advise was reiterated following an explosion at the British embassy in Sanaa and the attack against the USS Cole in Aden on October 12th.
The travel advise also states that British nationals in Islamic countries or countries with a large Islamic population, should exercise particular caution given heightened tension in the Middle East. We believe that Yemen is one of a number of countries where there is an increased threat to British interests from global terrorism. British nationals already in Yemen are advised to keep a low profile and to keep in touch with developments in the region.
According to Mahmood Al Shaibani, Deputy General Manager of Universal Travel and Tourism this warning is related to political reasons. Each government must take care of its citizens. We just ask them not to exaggerate and portray Yemen as an unstable place. We ask the UK government to be fair and to issue warnings according to the real situation in the country.
Universal Travel receives inquiries about travel to Yemen from many British people but the travel warning deters them from visiting the country and they cannot get travel insurance.
The latest statistics reveal that Yemen is a popular tourist destination for Europeans (the French, Germans, Italians, British, Dutch and Swiss), Americans, Australians as well as visitors from the Middle East, Japan and Latin America.
Abdo Lotf Marketing Development Manager of the Yemen Tourism Promotion Board is adamant that the travel warning is exaggerated and the government is determined to protect tourists. The country should not be portrayed as a terrorist base or a state plagued by civil war.

The British Yemen Society has also questioned the validity of the travel advice. One of the societys members, Bill Heber Percy, visited Yemen earlier this year with his wife and five friends. They travelled to Mahwit, Hajjah and Saada in the West and North, to Marib and across the desert to Shabwa and Wadi Hadhramaut in the East and to Mukalla via Wadi Duan in the South.

Nowhere did we have any feelings of insecurity, and the welcome everywhere was as warm as ever Percy said in a report about his trip. Wherever we went and particularly during the last two days in Sanaa, we were questioned about the rationale for the British Foreign Office advice to travellers not to visit the Yemen. It was a question to which we were unable to provide an answer. It was clear from our visit that, as a result of the tragic incident in late 1998 in Abyan Governorate, the tourist industry had suffered a devastating blow. One company told me that their 1999 figures were 95% down on 1998. When one considers that tourism in 1998 was the largest foreign exchange earner after oil, it is clear how damaging the economic effects have been. Both the Government and the tourist industry are united in their determination to ensure that visitors can enjoy their visit to Yemen in complete security. We found that in some areas there was a security presence which was noticeable without being intrusive, and on some sections of road an armed police patrol car accompanied other visitors and us. There are one or two areas which at present are considered unsuitable for visitors. The liaison between Yemeni Tour Companies and the Government on security appeared to us to be well established and efficient. With these precautions in place we found it impossible to justify the continued negative advice from the Foreign Office and we hope very much that it will be lifted without further delay. There are signs of a slow recovery in visitors from the European Union we met parties of Germans, Austrians, French, Dutch and Belgians. Britain is the only member of the European Union to advise against visiting the Yemen.

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