Tourism in Yemen:Tourism promotion needed [Archives:2003/668/Culture]
September 15 2003
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Many countries hold tourism industry as a main source for national economy.
In Yemen which possesses many beauties and tourist attractions tourism industry has gone through ups and downs.
Damage to tourism and national economy has taken many forms.
The biggest damage resulted from the murder of some tourists in December 1998 in Abyan. This incident and other incidents helped slow development of tourism in our country.
Yemen is gifted with diverse natural resources, which make it the magnet for tourists and visitors.
Yemen also possesses a rich historical heritage, natural biodiversity and diverse climate.
In Yemen, you can find the tourism of desert, sea, and the volcanic water hot springs which make Yemen as one of the most significant destinations for tourists.
But during the last few years, tourism and tourist facilities have been greatly affected and the flow of tourists has been greatly reduced due to terror acts.
This includes killing of a number of tourists in Yemen by the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army during the end of 1997.
The global crisis represented by the September 11 in the US and the war launched against terror and organizations, which support terrorism, are other motives behind the deterioration of tourism in Yemen. Some of the Western countries have warned their citizens against traveling to some countries specifically Yemen.
But tourism bodies don’t do anything with regard to exploring alternatives to attract the Gulf countries tourists instead of westerners.
Yemen will be the best place for tourism if tourist potentials have been greatly promoted. We have met some of those Gulf citizens tourists and talked about the tourist potentials and their promising future. We have found out that there are certain demands and needs they have in mind and there are many issues the concerned authorities have to tackle for tempting Arab tourism which is lacking propagation. Millions of US dollars are spent in the western countries and of no avail.
Naser Mohammed, from Saudi Arabia said:
“I have visited Yemen three times. We want to visit the whole of Yemen. But time doesn’t permit. During a three-day time, I have visited Sana’a, Yareem, Dhamar, Taiz and now Ibb.” We have enjoyed the attractive scenes of nature and mildness of the weather, unlike that in Saudi Arabia,” he said.
We are provided with useful information about the most significant regions from our friends here in Yemen or from information gathered during our journey to a number of places in the republic.
Hussein Mohammed, Saudi Arabia, Najran, said that Yemen is gifted with a number of natural constituents, which make Arab tourists hanker to revisit it. “But it has been still lacking of some significant factors which should be provided for tourists and visitors,” Mr. Hussein said.
A large number of tourists along with their families and cars come to Yemen. What is needed is for instance to expand highways, which link the Yemeni cities together. An interest should be paid with regard to establishing health resorts. Clean-up campaigns have to be continued. “We have faced so many difficulties when driving our car. We have visited a number of Yemeni cities and found that some of those streets are filled with water during the rainfall,” he remarked. “There aren’t also health tourist resorts along roads where a visitor or tourist can enjoy the beauty of nature. “There are of course some rest houses and parks, but they are not fully equipped. There some tourist attractions which are of great strategic importance, but they are in need of repair and attention,” Mr. Hussein said.
Arab tourists, particularly from the Gulf states, do not any longer have great fear concerning security issues that were propagated about Yemen and that is due to their realization of the actual reality in Yemen and the Yemeni citizen who carries arms.
The removal of such fear from minds of many Arab tourists doesn’t mean that all hindrances are removed.
Some Arab tourists mentioned some of these hindrances, for instance the Saudi tourist’s Hussen says: “One of the hindrances is that the Yemeni security bodies at the border inlets set a condition on the necessity of leaving our passports with them. This of course would restrict our movement and in case we wish to leave the country we have to return to the same border inlet through which we enter despite the existence of many other inlets between Yemen and the Saudi Arabia. He says we wish this question would be solved.
He added that concerning security aspects the country is safe and its people are good and hospitable.
This is a reflection of the distinguished relation between the people, he added.
He concluded by saying that he has visited many Arab and western countries as a tourist but in fact, Yemen, with its natural landscapes and climate diversity is more entertaining than many of the western countries.
If such simple measures have been taken, Yemen could be the most important attraction frequented by the Gulf citizens every year.
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