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Yemen Starts Campaign to Increase Tourism
 [Gulf Times] Western European residents will receive promotional material from Yemen this September as the country tries to convince more tourists to visit it.Adventure tourism fever! Catch it! The Yemeni Tourist Promotion Council has decided to start its promotional campaign in France, Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom next month before approaching people living in the neighbouring Gulf countries, local Yemeni media has reported. Because the neighbors ain't buying what they're selling Yemen is on the one hand known for its historic buildings in the capital Sanaa and spectacular nature but it is also one of the poorest countries in the world. Tourism provides a vital source of foreign capital for Yemen. "Come see our historic mud huts! Stay as a hostage in one of them." According to the Yemeni Ministry of Tourism, 1.1mn tourists visited Yemen in 2009, of those 70% came from the Gulf. The rest came from Somalia ... Mohamed Shaif, director of Yamanat Tours in Sanaa told The Media Line that the Yemeni government has made efforts to attract more tourists, "but it's not enough. The most important thing is security, if the tourists feel safe they will come," he said, adding: "This is what's important, not only promotion but security." Ibrahim Al-Attab, managing director of Yemen Explorers Com in the capital, said that tourism was up, but added that he was worried not everyone could afford travel to Yemen with the economic downturn. Yeah. That's why I haven't made it over yet... "The local tourism is increasing," Al-Attab told The Media Line. "Before people only came for one day, but now they stay overnight because there are good hotels and good facilities." Posted by: Fred 2010-08-25 |
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