SANAA - The ancient alleys of Sanaa are still bustling. Shoppers mingle, traders peddle their wares and children play in the street, all to a cacophonous backdrop of roaring motorbikes and honking cars. But there is one thing that is almost entirely missing from the oldest and most picturesque part of the Yemeni capital: tourists."We have had no clients for a year and a half," said Madeleine Schaffner from France, who, together with her Yemeni husband, has been running a tour operator for the past 12 years.
This week's kidnapping of two U.S. tourists by armed tribesmen near the capital was another nail in the coffin for the badly needed tourist industry of this impoverished country, said tour guide Mohammad al-Hubaishi.