5 governorates to celebrate World Tourism Day
This year’s theme is “Tourism and Sustainable Energy: Powering Sustainable Development.” The occasion will focus on investing in sustainable energy and how this is useful for humankind.
Ahmed Al-Beel, general manager of programs and the activities at the Ministry of Tourism, said, for the five governorates participating in World Tourism Day, each governorate will hold workshops to discuss the targets and goals necessary to increase the amount of tourism Yemen sees each year.
He said there are three major axes to be discussed in the selected governorates. The General Secretary of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) establishes these axes.
The axes are tourism policies in the direction of the use of renewable energy technology; trends toward substitution of renewable energy in hotel establishments; and discussing the economic impact of alternative energy sources, according to Al-Beel.
Starting tomorrow, a celebration marking World Tourism Day will be held in Shahran Hotel, Sana’a, with the presence of the Secretary of the Capital Abdulqader Ali Helal, the minister of tourism and other relevant people working in the tourism sector.
Sadeq Salah, head of the tourism office in Taiz, said there would be a workshop to discuss the axes of World Tourism Day in Taiz, with the coordination of local authorities and the private sector. He said there is good interaction with the private sector in supporting tourism in Taiz.
“There will be a 30 percent discount for Taiz’s hotels, and the local authorities will try to make the entrance to parks for free on Sept. 27,” he said.
He said Taiz witnessed a change in tourism because of efforts made by Governor Shawqi Hayel and the people around him to create healthy conditions to recover tourism in the governorate.
“Yemen can have a bright future of tourism if the tourism elements are cared for,” he said.
Saleh Al-Ameri, head of the tourism office in Sae’on-Hadramout, said tourism in Yemen is totally asleep. He said all hotels in the district are empty, and he said he was certain that improved security is the basic element for a tourism revival in the country.
“What kind of tourism is it when tourists are surrounded by security cars?” he said.
Abdullah Al-Kooli, head of the tourism office in Hodeidah, said the use of sustainable energy in the country would largely improve the tourism sector as well as other economical fields.
He said hotels should pay one to two million for this electricity. However, if there is another cheap source of energy, the support will be reflected in the prices of hotel rooms, thus encouraging more people to go into hotels, he said.
Al-Kooli said it is predictable to start executing the alternative sources of energy in the near future, meaning the next three to five years.
Workshops will be hold tomorrow in Aden and Ibb as well to negotiate the three axes of World Tourism Day and how to invest in and develop the tourism sector.
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