Tourism in Somalia
Encyclopedia
Tourism in Somalia
is a small industry, but the government of Somalia has committed to develop it further. Very few tourists ever visit Somalia due to the violence and unrest that has occurred there. However, some visitors and Somali leaders have expressed hope that Somalia's beaches and national park
s could become popular tourist attractions in the future.
have historically posed dangers to potential tourists. Kenya
's envoy to Somalia has expressed hope that the country will eventually become a top tourist destination due to its beautiful beaches. Somalia has the longest coastline in Africa
.
Somalia officially has several national parks, although most of them are located in areas that the government does not control. Most of the animals in the national parks have been hunted for food, as well. Many landmark buildings have been destroyed in the civil war
s, although Mogadishu was once known for its impressive architecture
. There are several museums in Mogadishu, but they have suffered from looting during the Somali Civil War
.
U.S. diplomatic cables
released by Wikileaks
have claimed that British Muslims have traveled to Somalia to train with militants in what has been dubbed "Jihadi tourism
".
has described the Somali Minister of Tourism as having "perhaps the world's hardest job".) Inasmuch as the government only controls a small portion of the country, tourists are officially limited to visiting only that portion.
Some Somali immigration officials have tried to reject tourists who arrive traveling alone due to the dangers they face. In 2001 a businessman from Saudi Arabia
arrived in Mogadishu
claiming to be a tourist but was detained by Somali authorities for three weeks because they suspected he was there to support a terrorist organization. One Mogadishu hotel advises guests to hire at least ten armed guards for their protection while visiting the city. Another deterrent to tourism is the fact that kidnapping is very common in Somalia.
The British Foreign Office
advises against all travel to Somalia, citing "ongoing serious violence, dangerous levels of criminal activity and general internal insecurity" as well as "a high threat from terrorism throughout Somalia".
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
is a small industry, but the government of Somalia has committed to develop it further. Very few tourists ever visit Somalia due to the violence and unrest that has occurred there. However, some visitors and Somali leaders have expressed hope that Somalia's beaches and national park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
s could become popular tourist attractions in the future.
Attractions
The country features many beaches, but sharks and toxic wasteToxic waste
Toxic waste is waste material that can cause death or injury to living creatures. It spreads quite easily and can contaminate lakes and rivers. The term is often used interchangeably with “hazardous waste”, or discarded material that can pose a long-term risk to health or environment.Toxic waste...
have historically posed dangers to potential tourists. Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
's envoy to Somalia has expressed hope that the country will eventually become a top tourist destination due to its beautiful beaches. Somalia has the longest coastline in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
.
Somalia officially has several national parks, although most of them are located in areas that the government does not control. Most of the animals in the national parks have been hunted for food, as well. Many landmark buildings have been destroyed in the civil war
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
s, although Mogadishu was once known for its impressive architecture
Architecture of Somalia
Somalian architecture is the engineering and designing of multiple different construction types such as stone cities, castles, citadels, fortresses, mosques, temples, aqueducts, lighthouses, towers and tombs during the ancient, medieval and early modern periods in Somalia, as well as the fusion of...
. There are several museums in Mogadishu, but they have suffered from looting during the Somali Civil War
Somali Civil War
The Somali Civil War is an ongoing civil war taking place in Somalia. The conflict, which began in 1991, has caused destabilisation throughout the country, with the current phase of the conflict seeing the Somali government losing substantial control of the state to rebel forces...
.
U.S. diplomatic cables
United States diplomatic cables leak
The United States diplomatic cables leak, widely known as Cablegate, began in February 2010 when WikiLeaks—a non-profit organization that publishes submissions from anonymous whistleblowers—began releasing classified cables that had been sent to the U.S. State Department by 274 of its consulates,...
released by Wikileaks
Wikileaks
WikiLeaks is an international self-described not-for-profit organisation that publishes submissions of private, secret, and classified media from anonymous news sources, news leaks, and whistleblowers. Its website, launched in 2006 under The Sunshine Press organisation, claimed a database of more...
have claimed that British Muslims have traveled to Somalia to train with militants in what has been dubbed "Jihadi tourism
Jihadi tourism
Jihadi tourism, also referred to as jihad tourism or jihadist tourism, is a term sometimes used to describe travel to foreign destinations with the object of scouting for terrorist training. US diplomatic cables made public by WikiLeaks in 2010 have raised concerns about this form of travel...
".
Dangers
Somalia has been mostly inaccessible to Western tourists since 1969 due to the persistent war and conflict that the country has experienced. Although there are very few tourists, the country does have an official minister of tourism. (The EconomistThe Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
has described the Somali Minister of Tourism as having "perhaps the world's hardest job".) Inasmuch as the government only controls a small portion of the country, tourists are officially limited to visiting only that portion.
Some Somali immigration officials have tried to reject tourists who arrive traveling alone due to the dangers they face. In 2001 a businessman from Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
arrived in Mogadishu
Mogadishu
Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
claiming to be a tourist but was detained by Somali authorities for three weeks because they suspected he was there to support a terrorist organization. One Mogadishu hotel advises guests to hire at least ten armed guards for their protection while visiting the city. Another deterrent to tourism is the fact that kidnapping is very common in Somalia.
The British Foreign Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
advises against all travel to Somalia, citing "ongoing serious violence, dangerous levels of criminal activity and general internal insecurity" as well as "a high threat from terrorism throughout Somalia".
External links
- U.S. State Department Somalia Travel Information
- Somalia Tourist information at GeoCurrents
- Somalia Travel Guide at WikitravelWikitravel-External links:* *...