Wednesday, Aug 15, 2007
Gulf News
Sana'a: When Marvinder Narang first set foot in the Yemen capitol of Sana'a in 1980, his attempts to promote the place were stymied by the fact that few had ever heard of the place.
"When I helped launch the 'Discover Yemen' campaign back then, no one knew where Sana'a was," joked Narang, general manager of the Taj Sheba, Sana'a's five-star hotel.
Twenty-five years later, this is still largely true. Tourism officials admit that a large percentage of the 382,000 tourists that visited last year were drawn to this southern Arabian country by word-of-mouth.
With an unvarnished, authentic feel pervading the country, one popular guidebook called Yemen "the undiscovered pearl of the Arabian peninsula."
The problem is that some tourist experiences have been downright hellish. Kidnappings have been sporadic over the last decade, as Yemeni tribes in the hinterland held tourists - reportedly treating them very well - in order to demand government assistance.
"Kidnappings in the past had been so peaceful," said Alwan Al Shaibani, a Yemeni tourism luminary who is heads Universal Tourism Company, the country's largest and oldest tour operator. "They didn't hurt anyone."
Suicide bomb
But a suicide bomb attack at the Queen of Sheba palace in the Marib Region killed seven Spaniards, throwing a cloud of uncertainty over the industry. "This is quite new for Yemen," a worried Al Shaibani said.
Yemenis seem to have denounced the act, and many took to the streets. "Even the tribes who kidnap people are not happy about what happened," said one guide.
But the biggest challenge facing the Ministry of Tourism may be a changing the perception of Yemen as a lawless wasteland.
He still believes tourism numbers will grow by 27,000 this year, down from its initial forecast of a 58,000 gain before the incident.
Last month, the government brought in outside consultants Trademark Tourism to promote Yemen throughout Europe and said it had appropriated another $1 million to promote the tourist trade in 2007.
Campaign
In the next month, Jean Jacques Gouy of Trademark Tourism will travel to Europe with the Yemen Tourism Promotion Board and invite journalists from France, Italy, Germany, Spain and the UK to tour the country. "They will be the best witnesses and offer testimony that Yemen is safe," Gouy said.
The road lying ahead of Al Fakih is a tough one, but he said he is up to the task. "Our reputation is damaged, but Yemen has the potential to be the most attractive destination in the peninsula."
Gulf News 2007. All rights reserved.
