Towards Restoration of Confidence in The Tourist Industry [Archives:2000/45/Business & Economy]

Undoubtedly, tourism industry has been greatly damaged after the explosion in the USS Cole on Oct. 12, adding another strong barrier against tourists flow to Yemen. Following the incident, an American warning was issued against travel to Yemen which will result in sharp fall in tourisms revenues by 50% in comparison with the past year. The official plans to welcome 250 thousand tourists thus seem impossible to achieve with the continuous, and even more strict ban against travel to Yemen. Despite the disappearance of kidnapping incidents, the USS Cole event made America accuse Yemen of being a fertile land for terrorists.
Restoring confidence in our tourism seems to be in dire need of an international campaign to again win confidence of tourists exporting markets and to persuade western countries to lift the ban on travel to Yemen.
The good number of foreign excavation expeditions working in Yemen did not help improve Yemens image outside. Despite the historical discoveries dating back to different periods announced, hotel owners still complain about weak flow of tourists. Continuation of deterioration of tourism industry poses threat to future of the immense of manpower who work in this respective sphere.
Tourism industry requires confidence of international tourist exporting markets which can not be achieved through announcing new discoveries in Belqis Mahram or the likes. There must be publicity in western countries that Yemen has become more strict about foreigners protection and has imposed heavy penalties on anyone trying to create disorder.
Yemens participation in Expo 2000 in Germany was a success in the sense that it restored Yemens reputation as a tourist site. However, it was supposed to be coinciding with a media and diplomatic campaign in the foreign tourist exporting markets.
Reviving tourism is not a difficult task in Yemen which possesses rich tourist potentials making it a wide-open museum. In 1998 tourist revenues came second to that of oil with an increase of 20% in comparison with 1995.
Participation in international tourist exhibitions is not enough to restore what has been lost. This should be accompanied by wide-scale media and diplomatic campaign to convince countries running a ban against travel to Yemen of present stability.

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