Tourism in Egypt and Sudan: a comparison
Like Egypt, its neighbour to the north, Sudan has amazing archaeological sites, including the 2,000-year-old pyramids of Meroe, ruins of cities and temples in the ancient capital of the kingdom of Kush. Sudan also has game parks teeming with elephants, lions and hippos rivalling those in Kenya.
Unlike Egypt or Kenya, which attract millions of tourists each year, Sudan brings in a meagre 60,000 visitors annually and is missing out on a windfall in tourism revenue. A reputation as an unstable country and a trade embargo have kept all but the most intrepid travellers away.
Sudan’s recent history does not read particularly well on tourist brochures. In 2005, the country came out of a 20-year war between the north and the south. The return of stability has brought investment and stimulated development across the country, but a rebellion continues to rage in the western Darfur region.
These types of events have largely scared off potential tourists. Most western governments have travel warnings for parts of Sudan.
The United States has had a trade embargo on Sudan since 1997. Credit cards are useless in the country because of the sanctions, and all financial transactions are done in cash or wire transfers.
Preferring to court foreign investors and businessmen, the government has done little to attract foreign tourists to Sudan. It takes at least a week to obtain a visa for Sudan, and nationals of some countries are routinely denied. Once in Sudan, travel permits are required to visit many parts of the country.
Excerpted from Matt Brown’s article for The National
- ESL Students Love Seeing and Sharing Their Homelands
- The Lost Boys Connection
- Living In A Digital World!
Comments
Leave a Reply
