Tour operators and cruise lines are poised
to move toward renewed tourism opportunities for Americans in Libya
following last weeks announcement of plans by the U.S. State Dept.
to reestablish diplomatic relations the North Africa nation.
But the
announcement is too fresh, Libyan travel providers and others said
last week, to know if the change will alleviate existing problems
with Americans getting visas to travel there.
And despite
concerns that remain in place about security, safety and travel
issues, operators said they are cautiously optimistic that
normalized relations will pave the way for U.S. tourism to Libya to
reestablish itself.
Travel to Libya
by Americans became legal last year, and interest in well-preserved
Roman ruins there has been strong, said Pamela Lassers of
Abercrombie & Kent, which operates
tours in Libya.
It is still a
little bit too early to tell anything about Libya, Lassers said. We
have not heard anything officially, but we are certainly hopeful
that this change of policies will help get the visa issues sorted
out.
Entry requirement
controversies for U.S. citizens have resulted in tour cancellations
this year and problems for cruise lines at Libyan ports. Since
December, visas into Libya for Americans have been
stalled.
Lassers said
A&K had to cancel a recent private jet trip with Libyan stops
because American participants could not get visas. While Libyan
authorities have said delays are part of a systems problem,
persistent rumor has postured that a refusal of a U.S. visa for
Libyan leader Muammar al-Kaddafis son, Robert, prompted delays in
processing visa requests for Americans.
We havent been
handling any visas to Libya because of the problems, said Ladan
Kalili, president of Ambassador Passport & Visa, a California
visa-services firm.
When we talked
(recently) with a representative from Libya about the visa
situation, he said once diplomatic ties were restored, tourism
would begin to flow again, Kalili said.
Brad Ball at
Silversea Cruises underscored that the timing of the state
departments announcement, prior to the Meds summer cruise season,
may prove helpful.
The news that the
USA is resuming full diplomatic relations with Libya is a very
positive development for our planned cruises this summer that
include Libyan ports, Ball said in an e-mail exchange. Were now
hopeful that the past difficulties with Americans obtaining visas
for Libya will be resolved.
Tour operators
and others remained unsure last week how quickly the issuing of
visas to Americans might become routine, and the State Dept. itself
was reviewing the issue last week.
Darla Jordan, a
State Dept. spokeswoman in Washington, said that the agency has
sent an inquiry to its consulate bureau for information on how the
policy change may affect the visa situation.
Were waiting on a
reply over what changes, if any, there might be, she said, adding
that all of the information on the State Dept.s Web site concerning
travel to Libya is current.
The return to
full diplomatic relations wont take effect until June, Jordan
noted.
Travel to Libya,
formerly considered an outlaw state by the U.S. for its support of
terrorism and twice the target of U.S. bombing raids in the 1980s,
had been restricted for Americans until a decision in 2004 to allow
the resumption of travel.
That, and more
recent decisions, reflect a warming of relations between the U.S.
and Libya over al-Kaddafis efforts to cooperate with and support
U.S. anti-terrorism activities.
But State Dept.
advisories to Americans who contemplate travel to Libya are
cautionary on a number of points. Security forces in Libya are
likely to listen in on telephone calls from hotels or otherwise
conduct surveillance of foreign visitors, the State Dept.
warned.
There also are
potential problems for travelers because of a lack of an
established credit card system outside of a few major hotels and
businesses in Libya. Also, there are no automated teller machines,
and cash conversion with a black-market money exchange can lead to
jail. Travelers also are cautioned about a lack of Western-type
medical facilities and about potential crime.
As a result of
issues such as these, coupled with the visa problems, the initial
flurry of interest in travel to Libya didnt pan out as well as some
had hoped.
The interest to
travel in Libya was tremendous when it first opened up, Lassers
said. But it has not resulted in that many travelers for us so
far.
It is a familiar
story throughout the industry, she said.
I think other
tour operators are in the same position; they have had things
planned, but with no timely visas there was just no way to proceed,
she said.
Visas currently
are only available to Americans through Ottawa and London, Lassers
noted.
Damir Bogdanic,
president of Sterling Vacations in Austin, Texas, said the decision
should put an end to uncertainty regarding U.S. citizens being able
to go ashore in Libyan ports. It opens up, again, travel to
incredible [Unesco] World Heritage Sites and ruins of one of the
most beautiful cities of the Roman empire, Leptis Magna.
To contact
reporter Dan Luzadder, send e-mail to [email protected].