Minister announces new tourism strategy for Yemen

Yemeni tourism is currently suffering from an assortment of social, political, economic, cultural and security challenges which create an unstable environment for establishing a prosperous tourism industry, said Nabil al-Faqih, Minister of Tourism at a press conference held last Sunday in Sana’a. 

Al-Faqih also spoke about the absence of real and effective partnership amongst tourism workers and the media. At the press conference, he announced a new national strategy in cooperation with the national media to boost tourism flows into Yemen. 

He criticizes the irresponsible role that the media plays in dealing with political and security issues, which harm the fortunes of tourism in Yemen. “Media treatment of security problems has led a number of European countries to warn their nationals against visiting Yemen. 

“The new strategy aims to generate a positive culture which supports tourism awareness and to embrace the social, cultural and human tourism perspectives,” said al-Faqih.

The minister added that this strategy will focus on news and information.

He also pointed out that businesses in the media and tourism fields will commit themselves according to the strategy to deal with tourism as a national imperative.  

“The ministry wants to present a feasible media role thorough this strategy by building a constructive partnership between media and tourism workers,” the minister went on.    

The minister encouraged the media to interact with the investment and tourism promotion initiatives, ensuring that the transparent and responsible dealing with the tourist information and that there should be easy access to information.   

The minister also reviewed the ministry's working program through an optional code of principals towards tourism to be signed by the media and tourism bodies, in addition to the activation of tourist writers' role, in order to promote the professional role of this society's members in serving Yemeni tourism. 

The minister mentioned that the ministry’s information unit will be activated to work as a link between the ministry and the media and to organize a caravan program in cooperation with the tourist writers, for this year and the years to come to promote tourist knowledge. 

Al-Faqih turned the attention that the ministry is going to organize debates that shed light on the investment and tourism activates. These debates will promote the awareness of those who work in tourism sectors. He also said that courses will be organized on tourism professionalism and tourism encouragement. Enquiries over the tourism prospects, development plans and the effect of current events on development and tourism were also presented by local and foreign press. 

He finally discussed the improvement in infrastructure and services that the ministry has implemented in 49 different tourist sites throughout the country, and the agreement that eth General Investment Authority has signed with a number of investors to set up a number of tourist centers at a total cost of $2.5 billion. 

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