Tourism has potential, but needs to be built safety and trust:Asheibani [Archives:2002/17/Reportage]
April 22 2002
BY MOHAMMED AL-MASANI
YEMEN TIMES STAFF
It is also a way to start new relations based on love as well as peace for it creates a nice atmosphere for making the long-waited dream of peace among the nations.
It can also make better conditions of life in different districts and support the national economy. It can provide a great number of job opportunities for many people. This means developing the income of Yemeni families, limiting unemployment, encouraging the businessmen to invest in the country as well as attracting modern technology to the country through foreign companies.
With regard to this, the Yemen Times spoke with the Chairman of Universal Group of companies, Alwan Ashaibani.
Q: How do you assess the tourism industry after the September 11 attacks in the US in general and the kidnapping incidents in Yemen in particular?
A: As you know, we are not alone in that have been greatly affected by such global incidents. The whole world has been negatively affected, particularly the Middle East region.
Other global issues such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has its ups and downs and this undoubtedly has been disturbing us much.
Whenever there is a good tourist atmosphere, tourism will grow and prosper.
More sorrow than in anger, the whole region is living under difficult circumstances in a time in which it is branded by such terms as terrorism. I think that tourism will suffer for months and perhaps longer than that.
Q: In your point of view, how can we save the tourism industry under the local and international current developments?
A: Tourism is not related to local factors only, but to international as well, particularly in the Middle East region.
So, not only Yemen has been greatly affected by the September 11 attacks in the US but the whole world is still undergoing the consequences.
These and other incidents has created a psychological barrier for potential tourists. People traveling abroad have become afraid to fly. Others dont want to go from country to another country by bus or train.
What we need is to promote the tourism industry in Yemen and of course this is not good enough. Security disturbances need to come to an end.
Q: Is there coordination between Universal Tourism Company and the official bodies in the field of promoting domestic tourism?
A: We do our best to promote the tourism industry at both levels locally and internationally. Great efforts have been exerted in coordination with the Ministry of Tourism to find solutions to our problems. Efforts have been also exerted to lessen the financial burdens on tourist and hotel facilities in coordination with the High Tourism Council. The deplorable thing is that government assistance to the tourist sector is somehow inadequate. What has been achieved so far is postponing taxes only for few month.
Q: What are your future plans with regard to the Yemeni Islands?
A: As you know, in any part of the world, islands have become the focus of attracting more tourists. In our country, it is still early for the islands to be invested in. What is needed at first is to put an end to the security disturbances, and we need to promote and establish new tourist facilities in the main cities, tourist sites and on sea side.
Im confident that many investors have a strong desire to invest in the Yemeni Islands. But the question is, when is this going to be accomplished?
Q: Any last comments?
A: What I want to say here is that we welcome foreign tourists. We do inform them that the situation in Yemen is safe and stable. As far as one can remember, Yemen is known as the country of generosity and hospitable. The tourism industry is promising. So, we expect more tourists to come to Yemen during the last months of 2002.
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