(ANSAmed)- MILAN, FEBRUARY 17 - Now that the war has ended, a
small part of Libya is starting to hope again. Among the
hundreds of stands at the International Tourism Fair in Milan
(BIT) where thousands of destinations worldwide are represented,
next to the large exhibition spaces of the countries of the
so-called Arab Spring, Egypt and Tunisia, we find New Libya. A
tiny space compared with the operations launched in great style
by the tourism boards of the states that saw their regimes fall
last year and are now trying to revive the sector, but an
important space because it is a sign of hope.
''We are here to tell Italian tourists that Libya is waiting for
them,'' says Namek El Nazer, director of Germa, one of the two
travel agencies that have courageously decided to participate in
the Tourism Fair. Courageous, because the offices of Germa and
of the other agency, Breaj, in Tripoli are closed. Namek tells
everyone active in the sector and looking for partnerships, as
well as some journalists, that the agency will reopen in
October. But the reality is, that it is unclear when things will
start moving in that direction. One year after the revolution,
Libya is still fighting, trying to subdue independent armed
groups that refuse to surrender, while the country is facing
challenges in every sector. But Namek continues to repeat the
word 'hope'. He has been through a lot because of his age, 78.
He has been active in tourism since 1966 and says he knows every rock in the Libyan desert. He stayed in London with his daughter during the revolution, ''but together we have sent help to those who stayed to fight. Everything we were able to send: containers with clothes, an ambulance." The director of Germa claims that Libya, after Gaddafi, will recover sooner than Egypt and Tunisia. Around 30 thousand agents are active in tourism at the moment, guides, hotel and restaurant owners, all without work. Unlike many countries that are present at the Fair with the support of their governments, the two Libyan travel agencies had to pay themselves for their initiative. ''The National Transitional Council has other priorities at the moment,'' Namek explains. ''But we will continue to take action." The next stage: the tourism fair that is organised in March in Berlin.
(ANSAmed).
He has been active in tourism since 1966 and says he knows every rock in the Libyan desert. He stayed in London with his daughter during the revolution, ''but together we have sent help to those who stayed to fight. Everything we were able to send: containers with clothes, an ambulance." The director of Germa claims that Libya, after Gaddafi, will recover sooner than Egypt and Tunisia. Around 30 thousand agents are active in tourism at the moment, guides, hotel and restaurant owners, all without work. Unlike many countries that are present at the Fair with the support of their governments, the two Libyan travel agencies had to pay themselves for their initiative. ''The National Transitional Council has other priorities at the moment,'' Namek explains. ''But we will continue to take action." The next stage: the tourism fair that is organised in March in Berlin.
(ANSAmed).
