Economic Report
Tourism sector has suffered losses of more than (6) billion dollars and the destruction of more than (85) archeological monuments and ancient cities, in addition to (206) touristic facilities
During the past two years up to now, our country has been subjected to an aggression carried out by the Saudi led-coalition accompanied by land, sea and air siege , by which all economic sectors have suffered heavy losses including the tourism and its related sectors.
The estimated volume of losses has reached more than (6,477) billion USD, in addition to a destruction varied between (partial and total) of more than (85) ancient cities, historical monuments and touristic landmarks.
All airlines operations were stopped (except Yemenia Airways with limited flights). Tourism agencies and ports were closed, in addition to the destruction of more than (206) touristic facilities in most governorates of Yemen, (128) of them are in the Capital Secretariat of Sana'a and Sana'a Governorate, and this is according to what we have been able to reach due to the difficulty to reach some governorates to assess damages magnitude on them.
These facilities provide various services related to tourism activities varied between accommodation services like hotels, touristic cities, resorts, touristic baths, restaurants, cafes, gardens, rest houses, parks and events halls, and tourism institutes, agencies and car rental. All have been directly or indirectly damaged varied between partial, medium and total destruction, in addition to the layoff for more than 95% of the working staff in touristic facilities of all types.
The volume of financial losses of tourism sector, over the past two years, has been estimated at more than 4.5 billion USD, while the losses of Yemen Tourism Promotion Board has been estimated of more than 9 million USD.The Saudi led-coalition aggression accompanied by land, sea and air siege, has led to the suspension of all flights to Yemen, in addition to the destruction of most airports and seaports in Yemeni causing them out of service.
The damages assessment study on tourism sector and services associated with tourism industry, which has been conducted by Ministry of Tourism and Yemen Tourism Promotion Board in cooperation with Yemeni center of Remote Sensing and GIS systems, has revealed a great decline in the flights of operating airlines in the Republic of Yemen from 223 flights per week to only 17 flights, which is only (14) weekly flights of Yemenia Airways instead of (102) flights, while Felix Airways flights declined from (55) to only (3) weekly flights. For both Arab and foreign airlines in addition to technical flights, there were zero flights recorded, when they were varied between (52) and (14) weekly flights each.
For example, Yemenia Airways, since the first month of the aggression, has suffered losses of more than (12) million USD - according to a declaration by an official source in Yemenia Airways which was published Tourism Journal in November 2015 - which means the volume of losses of Yemenia Airways during the past two years is about (288) million USD; and these figures can be increased in light of the continuation of the American-Saudi aggression on Yemen.
Due to this aggression, tourism agencies have suffered losses of more than 1.2 billion USD, as they were about to bring tourists groups from Russia, East Asia and Eastern Europe. While the losses of hotels sector has reached an amount of (480) million USD.Not to mention the damages in the infrastructures constituted in the destruction of buildings, facilities, ports and airplanes that being targeted directly.
It is indicated that the losses volume in tourism sector is increasing continuously with the continuation of the Saudi-American aggression which is led by Saudi Arabia on Yemen and its persistence to destroy the Yemeni civilization, history, land and people.