JEDDAH — Despite the conflicts in Yemen, the government plans to revive its tourism. In this context, the government is seeking to lure both local and international tourists to its Socotra Island — a safe haven compared to other Yemen destinations. It lies some 240 kilometers east of the Horn of Africa and 380 kilometers south of the Arabian Peninsula. The island is very isolated and a third of its plant life is found nowhere else on the planet. The island measures 132 kilometers in length and 49.7 kilometers in width. Yemeni Minister of Tourism Moamar Al-Aryani assured that no terrorist groups will control the island. He told the Saudi Gazette “it is a safe destination and we will provide further security and protection at it.” He elaborated that they will turn its airport into an international airport that can receive tourists based on specific security measurements. Only one location in Yemen has been specified as a safe destination for international tourism which is Socotra island. The island is among the top 10 world islands with unique and diverse flora and fauna. The government of Yemen is seeking the help of the Arab Tourism Organization to convince not only tourists but also investors to trust Yemen. He further said tourism in Yemen constitutes 3% of the GDP and the government seeks to increase it to reach 10% and 20% in a later stage. He described the current situation in Yemen as if it is a “piece of cloth that is torn apart” and hoped the new constitution will provide a “new cloth” that Yemen can put on and move on in its strategic plans. Al-Aryani noted that the current security issues in the country have increased unemployment and decreased the hotel booking. This drove Yemen to focus more on local tourism and convince Yemenis living abroad to visit their home country along with the families. The minister was speaking during a joint press conference for him and the Bandar Al-Fuhaid the president of the Arab Tourism Organization yesterday (Sunday) here at the ATO. The two parties signed Saturday an agreement to help boost the struggling tourism sector in Yemen. The agreement will provide training and workshops for Yemen. It will also convince inventors to approach the country and will insure organizing joined conferences. Yemen can also benefit from over 80 agreements that the ATO has signed with different bodies to insure security and elevate the quality of tourism in the Arab states, noted the president of ATO. The Arab states have lost so far over $30 billion in the tourism sector due to the so-called Arab Spring. This drove the ATO to organize a joined conference at Sharm Al-Sheikh to help reduce losses. The organization has worked on generating policy insurance for investors approaching Arab states in cooperation with the Islamic Development Bank. The insurance covers up to 90% of the investor's capital for 20 years. So far the total value of policy insurance has reached $5.2 billions, 20% of which goes to tourism investments.
Theses policy insurances are provided against terrorism and unstable political conditions, among other factors preventing investors from starting up businesses in Arab states, added Al-Fuhaid.
