OVER 40 INVESTMENT PROJECTS TO BE OFFERED IN ADEN CONFERENCE

SANA'A, Nov. 09 (Saba) - Tourism Ministry is to present about 44
investment opportunities to the investment conference "Aden: Yemen's
Gate to the World" including 11 mud-built tourist villages.

Abdul-Jabbar Saeed, assistant undersecretary of the Ministry said to
the state-run 26sep.net that the projects will be set up in the
provinces of Hodeidah, Hadramout and Hajjah.

The conference will be organized by the General Authority for
Investment (GAI) in cooperation with the Aden Free Zone, the
Commercial and Industrial Chamber of Aden, the local authority of
Aden and House of Experience for Studies and Consultations during
the period 11-12 November in Aden city.

Saeed said that the tourism sector in Yemen has witnessed a
insignificant decline because of the last events in Saada, north
Yemen.

"The number of European tourists reached 19.000 persons in the first
half of 2009 comparing with 17.000 tourists at the same time in 2008
at a growth rate of 10 percent", he added, pointing out that the
loss was $ 65 million.

The number of Arab tourists reached 146000 tourists in 2009.

MD/YA