 TOURISM |
Tourism among other sectors has suffered enormously from the ongoing war and by-products of it such as propaganda and travel warnings. It is understandable that tourism has never really been a priority interest of the government in a country where the war has lasted for so many decades and there are other sectors in a more urgent need of investments and attention.
But even from that perspective the tourism in the Sudan is very underdeveloped especially considering the pearls the country has to offer. Interestingly and unfortunately the annual flow of tourists visiting the Sudan in 1970's-80's was greater than it is at the moment. The main reasons for this are the above mentioned war, lack of infrastructure, and difficulties and expenses of getting into the Sudan, and additional bureaucracy one faces while in the country like obtaining photo and travel permits. That is why most of the tourist coming into the Sudan at the moment are the divers flying directly to the Red Sea city Port Sudan from Egypt, or flying via Khartoum.
However, whoever goes to the Sudan as a tourist will be positively surprised. One can feel like a real pioneer by following the footsteps of the 19th century explorers who desperately tried to find the origins of the River Nile, or those interested in water sports can relive the underwater life of a Frenchman Jacques Cousteau, who built a whole underwater laboratory complex close to the Port Sudan. One will still be able to see his cages for shark observations and a house where the divers lived. And of course it goes without saying that the Sudanese Red Sea is the most well preserved part of this beautiful sea, and famous for its corals and variety of fish.
The beauty of the Sudan is composed of long history, rich culture, friendliness of the people, and diversity of nature. The Sudan is the most fascinating destination for those who want to experience real originality. The Red Sea is one of the most well preserved dive sites in the world, and the deserts as well as its archaeological sites are hardly touched. In the west there are the green mountains waiting for safaris, and the South and the Nuba Mountains once the war is over will be destinations for discoveries of the pure African culture. The existing facilities and infrastructure are limited but the opening of Hilton in Port Sudan is a sign of the growing interest towards tourism.
| The capital Khartoum along the River Nile has international hotels such as Hilton, The Grand Holiday Villa and Hotel Palace. The Grand Holiday Villa is a Malaysian run hotel very popular among the Asians. It is very much a product of a good relationship between two governments, as the Area Manager Captain Charles A. Bain explains: "The Malaysian government has the largest investment outside Malaysia in the Sudan. The Government of the Sudan has increased the amount of memorandum of understanding with Malaysian companies and corporations, and there will be an escalation of Malaysian investors in the Sudan. These were reasons why our company decided to invest in Sudan."
The Korean owned Hotel Palace is located right on the bank of the Nile and it is known for its food -best in town, and extremely friendly staff. It belongs to the Korean Daewoo Company. Currently an Asian oil company GNPOC is occupying 68% of the rooms, but at the end of the year 2001 the hotel will be looking into the new clientele, when the contract between the hotel and GNPOC is ending.
The Deputy General Manager, Ahmed Ali Abdelgadir describes the future: "The Manager has a plan to renovate the hotel as quickly as we can. We will have a full hotel with 147 rooms, and our target will be to attract more conference business through intensive PR with ministries and other organizations, and also to direct our efforts towards corporate business." |
