Minister of Tourism and Environment to the Yemen Times Future of tourism in Yemen has challenges and hope [Archives:2003/05/Culture]
February 4 2003
BY FAROUK AL-KAMALI
TAIZ BUREAU
Inside the country the tourism sector suffers badly, there are not facilities for investment, no enforcement of laws, no tourist services, no festivals and qualified tourist cadre.
In fact Yemen could be the only country which does not have professional tourism guides. Why so?
And what could be done to help the situation?
The first man in tourism, Mr. Abdulmalik Al-Iryani gave an interview to Yemen Times staff and brought hope through the information he provided about the Tourist Establishments Classification Project under establishment now underway.
Q: What is the importance of this classification project and what exactly does it mean?
A: Through this project we aim at classifying or dividing the tourist- related establishments into defined levels. This is a kind of standardization that we opted for recently instead of having more than one gauge or measurement in our definition of the various tourist establishments existing in the country.
Not only this, but the standardized classification would become a legal reference in all our affairs and in solving any disputes that could appear in this field. We have given the existing tourist establishments a deadline before which they have to adjust their being so as to meet the criteria of the most relevant classification to them.
Q: But small motels, and they are many, would suffer from such a system because they are far from standardization and it would be difficult to enforce the new system on them. What about those?
A: The project keeps in mind such establishments and the various levels they could be included at. There are rates from one star to five stars and each rate has certain criteria which the establishment has to comply with. However, for those small businesses, we will give a greater chance to reach the required standard, but this does not mean that we would compromise regarding quality.
This is because quality is an important factor in tourism and can not be ignored. It is important that both the governmental and the private sectors would together to improve the quality of services and to lead this project to success.
Q: Although the tourist-related establishments are going through a down phase in income, they are complaining from the high taxation rate and electricity and water bills. How do you overcome this problem?
A: Yes, the problem you mentioned exists, and as a solution, the government has agreed last year to postpone collection of taxes and fees and it agreed with the ministry of finance to allow these establishments to pay the charges in installments over a relatively long time period. I think this could be credited as a serious step in this direction in order to solve some of the problems in the tourism sector.
Q: Recently we heard many voices demanding to close down night clubs and discos in Aden, to the extent that the case has reached court. Does this conflict with encouragement of investment?
A: This is not an issue of conflicting or non-conflicting interests. It is a case of obeying the laws and regulations of the country. If there are any cases of the kind, then the judiciary system is our source of decree and we have to abide by its verdicts. However, we see tourism as a multi sided concept and thanks to good tourism in Yemen is of the cultural, environmental and historical kind, and most of the tourists now come to Yemen for these purposes.
Q: In your opinion, what does the tourist sector in Yemen need and how can the private sector provide for tourism in Yemen?
A: There are great potentials in the tourist sector in Yemen and it could contribute greatly to the national income. But unfortunately due to lack of implementation and resources the sector could not produce the outcomes that it should.
The private sector has a great role to play. For it is in essence the main investor in tourism and provides most of the tourism services generally. It also contributes greatly in the training and rehabilitation of cadre and workforce in this sector.
In Yemen particularly the private sector is quite active and we find many of the investors in hotel and accommodation establishments come from the private sector. In any case there has to be strong and effective cooperation between the government and the private sector to improve the situation of tourism in the country.
Q: What about the challenges tourism faces in terms of the current unstable situation as in threat of war and acts of terrorism?
A: Tourism in the whole world has been negatively affected by the current developments, and Yemen especially has been affected because of the particular nature of its land and people. We have discussed on more than one occasion about the bad consequences of terrorism on the country and on the tourism sector in particular. But this does not mean to sit hand-folded and curse our luck. We have to work continuously in order to overcome the negative aspects of the situation and invest in the plus points that we have. We have to prepare ourselves for the future and what may come, because we have great natural resources and fantastic potentials that we should not let the current situation destroy.
Q: Then what does the ministry intend to do in this respect and what is the plan for this year?
A: We have laid down a plan that works on many fronts, the legislative and organizational aspects, and proper organizational boards. Also to modify the tourism and environment laws so as to serve tourism and investment. At the same time to publicize for the country externally and internally though campaigns, festivals and fairs internationally. And to publish a number of tourism related publications about Yemen. We will also dedicate a number of locations for tourism and rehabilitate those places so that they reach the desired standards and allow for large investments in them.
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