Yemeni government criticized for not promoting tourism [Archives:2007/1020/Local News]

By: Yasser Al-Mayasi
SANA'A, Jan. 27 ) The world doesn't know about Yemen and it's the government's fault for not promoting tourism, according to visiting German journalists.

Germans don't know much about Yemen outside of the negatives such as kidnappings arms bearing, the journalists said.

“This is unreal. What we see is totally different from what we heard. Most Germans don't know that there are educated people in Yemen who know more about Germany than what we know about Yemen,” said one of the journalists during the visit.

He blames the Yemeni government for not promoting tourism and says the Yemeni embassies abroad, including the Berlin-based one, have to play a positive role in promoting Yemen's tourism.

While visiting Wadi Dhahr and Dar Al-Hajar (Stone Palace), north of Sana'a, the German journalists discussed with their Yemeni counterparts the issue of tourism and confirmed they came to discover Yemen and convey facts about the Arab country, which enjoys numerous qualities in terms of topography, climate, antiquities and ancient sites, to other people.

Julia Rothhaas assured that her visit to Yemen along with the other compatriots helped them discover several things.

“We knew much more about Yemen in a real way. We were shocked at the country's antiquities and tourist attractions,” she said, adding that the most important goals of the team's visit are to convey a real picture about Yemen to the outside world and report positive information about its historic sites.

According to Rothhaas, Yemen is a safe nation characterized by hospitality and deserves to be visited.

“The Yemeni government should play a greater role in promoting the country's tourism since tourism promotion abroad doesn't go on in an organized way