The famous five!
Places to go that offer something different.
Middle East tourist boards and operators were out in force at the London World Travel Market in November. The Middle East is fast becoming a tourist destination and it’s not all about the glitz and glamour of Dubai. Some countries may be something of a surprise but, as tourist boards explain, the Middle East is a beautiful part of the world steeped in history and culture and although many people think parts are turbulent, it is generally very safe. Marcelle Nethersole focuses on five Middle Eastern countries to find out why they are being put on the tourist map.
Iran
Iran is not a country people would normally think of as a holiday destination but peel away the misconceptions and you find a beautiful country spilling over with history.
“We have the whole world in one place,” said Cyrus Etemadi, managing director of Cyrus Sahra Tour and Travel Agency. “It is a beautiful country with deserts, mountains, rivers and lakes. It is a cultural country with many ancient cities, the most famous being Persopolis from the Achaemenid Empire more than 2500 years ago. Rediscovered in the 1930s, it draws a huge amount of visitors who can walk among ruins such as monumental staircases and huge gateways.”
Iran also boasts ski resorts. “Many visitors come from
Capital city Tehran bustles with life. “It is a big cosmopolitan city with over 12 million people but it’s beautiful and a great place to visit,” said Etemadi. “We have great restaurants boasting local food and international cuisine.
“The north of Tehran is a great family summer resort with beautiful rivers. It is also good for trekking.
So how safe is Iran and how organised is it for tourists?
Etemadi said: “Due to political problems we haven’t had too many tourists but it is 100 per cent safe at the moment; the only thing you may see is a peaceful demonstration on the streets.
“We have hotels but we don’t have many. We used to have Hyatt, Sheraton and Hilton but most need renovation. However we have good three or four star hotels and we’re working on building five star ones. Around 45 years ago we had around 700,000 tourists a year. We are looking to get back on track.”
Tehran has two international airports, the old Mehrabad International Airport (THR) and new Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKA). Most international flights fly into IKA including BA, Lufthansa, KLM and Turkish Airlines.
Iran Air is the country’s national carrier but it has had its problems. “Iran is trying to make improvements with its aircraft and trying to get new ones. Iranian Airlines was once one of the best airlines in the world and was the first airline to fly from Tehran to New York non-stop. When China opened its doors to tourists it was Iranian Airlines that flew from Tehran to Peking. Tourists had to fly to Tehran and take Iranian Airlines to Peking. We have domestic flights but we do have a shortage of aircraft due to US sanctions. We are hoping this will improve shortly as our tourism steadily increases,” said Etemadi.
Syria
The Silk Road of Syria has deserts, valleys, citadels, castles and bazaars, and a country proud to boast being the first inventors of quite a few things.
“We had the first alphabet in the world,” revealed Bassam Barsik, director general of development & tourism marketing. “Syria is home to the first musical tune in the world, the first dictionary, and Damascus was the first capital for the state of Islam. These are just little interesting facts but it shows how old we and how advanced we were back then.”
Syria’s ancient cities of Damascus , Aleppo and Bosra are all on Unesco’s World Heritage list, as is the beautiful ruined city of Palmyra .
“Anyone interested in history must come to Syria. More than 33 civilisations have passed over the area. There are more than 10,000 archaeological sites all officially registered, we really are an open air museum,” said Barsik. “We have a huge diversity with nature and ecology too. In one hour you can go from the coast to the mountains. Another hour on is the desert, where we have the Bedouin life.
“We also have a deep religious background from stories of the Prophet Mohammed to Christianity. Ma’alula, a Syrian village that springs from the rocks, witnessed the birth of Christianity. The language of this village is Aramaic, the language of Jesus.”
Damascus is the oldest inhabited capital in the world. You can walk the around the beautiful Old City, which is filled with bustling bazaars and souks and the winding alleys, mosques and fountain courtyards, cafés and street vendors.”
Eng.Wael Zuabi of the Ministers’ Office added: “We are marketing Syria as a tourist destination and work closely with the airlines. If you want to increase tourism you need to increase flights, so we need to work together.
We have four international airports with Arab airlines such as Emirates, Saudi Airline and Royal Jordanian increasing their flights to Syria’s main international airport just outside Damascus. Some make four or five flights every day.”
Syria’s flagship carrier is Syrian Arab Airlines, which has a small fleet including Airbuses.
“Last year we had 5.5 million tourists with 60 per cent being from the Arab countries. That’s a big market but we also have many European carriers fly to Syria such as BMI, Alitalia and Lufthansa,” said Barsik.
Lebanon
Beirut was once referred to as the Paris of the Middle East but that was before Lebanon suffered turbulent times. This is now behind them and, as the director general of tourism explained, Lebanon is back on track to being a chic and sophisticated tourist hotspot while still keeping its traditional roots.
“Lebanon is a diverse country,” said Nada Sardouk, director general for the Ministry of Tourism. “We have a culture dating back 7,000 years. There are historical cities and sites, deep forests and snow-capped mountains. We have ski resorts but, if you’re a beach fan, we also have the Mediterranean coast. There is also a burgeoning ecotourism offering.”
If that wasn’t enough,
“We are a safe country. Previous conflicts were actually localised and were never aimed at tourists. We are a small, harmonious and friendly country. We have tight security and safety. It is as safe as anywhere else and our criminal statistics are very low,” said Sardouk.
Lebanon’s tourist numbers reached 1.6 million in the summer and with its new winter sports destinations it is expected to see a further two million by the end of the year.
Sardouk said: “We have new hotels, resorts and mixed-use developments starting to appear all over Lebanon and key organisations within the tourism industry are joining forces and are working closely to sustain our country’s position as a Middle East business hub and top tourist spot.
“Rafic Hariri International Airport is Lebanon’s only airport and can host around six million visitors. We had 1.6 million visitors in the summer – 50 per cent from the Middle East and the others European,” said Sardouk.
“We have a large number of Lebanese living abroad, particularly in Latin America, so we see a lot of our natives coming home to their roots. We are looking into new markets such as family travel and by 2020 we hope to see two million tourists a year.”
Lebanon is also seeing a different sort of ‘tourist’ visit. “We have fantastic medical services. Many people from other Arab countries come to Lebanon for operations. We are also known for plastic surgery, which includes cosmetic surgery and at affordable prices. Laser-eye surgery is also noted here.”
Beirut is an exciting, fun and chic capital. Its streets still bear a striking resemblance to those in St Tropez, with palm trees, lines of cafes and bars. Look a little closer and you will see the dark side too, with bullet holes peppering older buildings. There are plenty of hotels, including charming traditional family establishments and boutique hotels like in France.
Beirut boasts great culture and a fabulous party life. There are lots of bars, including sky bars on the roofs, which boast the best views over Beirut.
It also offers cabaret theatre, shows, dancing, music and even gambling at its Casino Du Liban, as well as hoards of restaurants.
“We are also very a liberal country. We have19 different religions and we all live well together. We have women with veils walking next to women in tiny shorts. Lebanon is also a gateway. By land, you can reach Damascus, Syria, by taxi in just two hours. Many travellers make this journey,” said Sarouk.
Yemen
Yemen, the land of milk and honey, sits on the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula. Dating back to the Stone Age, it has remained largely isolated and has suffered conflict. But today it has its doors open to tourists and has launched a domestic low-budget airline.
“I have never seen a place like this,” admitted Christopher Imbsen, programme director of Dunira Strategy. “The capital city San’a still has 11th century mud brick buildings with alabaster windows. It looks like a ginger bread city. It is unique in the world; and unique is a word you can apply to Yemen.”
San’a was founded by Shem, the son of Noah, and sits on the rooftop of Arabia at 3000 meters. You walk through the streets of San’a and the men still carry curved daggers (jambia).
“The city is surrounded by mountains where you can see precarious looking villages perched on the edge. Kids can’t play football in the garden as they would fall down 100 metres,” explained Imbsen.
Yemen’s history is extensive. Dating back 3000 years it has seen many invasion attempts, including the Roman Empire back in 24 BC. It has also experienced civil wars and today still has its turbulent regions, which should be noted to the traveller.
“Yemen is safe if you behave responsibility and follow the advice of your tour operator,” said Imbsen. “There is an insurgency in the north and also a little trouble in the middle of the country around Marib, where the Queen of Sheba lived. But Yemen has many fascinating ancient cities that are safe, such as Shibam, known for its modern brick skyscrapers sprouting out of a desert that were built in the 16th century and are still standing today.”
San’a is already a business centre and Yemen’s tourism is steadily on the increase.
Imbsen said: “We had around 400,000 Middle Eastern visitors in 2008. And there were 9,000 visitors from the UK. Our largest European markets are Germany, Italy and France. San’a has five star hotels and there are plans for more but many people like staying at the boutique hotels, which fit in with the Yemini look.”
Yemen has six airports including Aden and San’a International. Yemen’s national carrier, Yemenia Airways, flies to dozens of destinations across the Middle East and Europe , including London, Paris and Rome . But new to the industry is Yemen’s low-budget domestic airline, Felix Airways.
“Felix started last year and it provides an extensive network of domestic services on the Middle East’s youngest aircraft fleet,” said Imbsen. “It flies to many Middle Eastern and North African destinations and has just launched services to Sharjah and Djibouti.”
Palestine
Palestine, a country that doesn’t need much introduction, has every right to boast its tourist potential.
“Palestine hasn’t had any incidences of trouble, especially in the West Bank, against travellers for a number of years,” said Joseph Sahouri, international relations coordinator of the Ministry of Tourism. “Although many tourist sites and facilities are being developed and rehabilitated, we are continuing to work within the international community to offer additional sites, which are currently off limits because of Israel’s military occupation.”
Such sites include the Dead Sea Scrolls in Qumran, the old City of Jerusalem, Herodium Castle near Bethlehem, and the Old City of Hebron, among others. But there is still a lot to see that will take your breath away.
Sahouri explained: “Despite these restrictions, some of the best sites in the world are accessible. These include the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, Jacob’s Well in Nablus, the Mount of Temptation in Jericho and Belameh Water Tunnel in Jenin. We are trying to diversify. We have wonderful religious history but we are also adding our cultural aspects and expanding to other regions such as Jericho, Ramallah and Hebron as they have their own special attractions. Palestine has archaeological, religious and ecological aspects, as well as wonderful people, and wait until you try our gastronomy.”
Palestine’s main airport was in Gaza, which has since been destroyed and is occupied by the Israeli military. So how exactly do you get in?
“It’s a lot easier and safer than you think,” said Sahouri. “We work well with the Israeli tourism authority. Why shouldn’t we? We are all good people looking to improve the tourism in our countries and this connects us.
“The way to get to Palestine is via Tel Aviv or Amman, then you simply take a car for two hours to get to cities such as Jerusalem, Bethlehem or Ramallah. There is no need for a special visa from either country – its just normal border control like any other country, the normal check points; you just need an access visa.
“There is no problem with having an Israeli stamp in your passport then going in to Palestine. It may only be a problem in the case with regional countries such as Lebanon – in which case, simply ask for your passport not to be stamped or get a second passport.
“We have no control of airspace so there is still a problem but we are trying to negotiate. We’re supposed reclaim back Jerusalem airport on the eastern side. And one day we hope Gaza International Airport will be open again,” said Sahouri.
In 2008 Palestine received 1.4 million visitors, both business and tourists. “That was a milestone for us. It was almost the same as the year 2000, which means we’re getting back on track,” said Sahouri. “The markets are mainly from western and southern Europe, the Americas and the Far East and we’re expanding in the Eastern European countries. It was surprising that the Russians were the main tourists to Palestine.”
Bethlehem has three new hotels opening as capacity was reached during peak times in October and November and April. The Palestine Ministry of Tourism has worked hard to achieve its recent tourist figures and has put in place tour packages.
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