Tourism Ministry says iconic Urubo State Hotel to be rebuilt

The minister of Information, Heritage and Tourism Mohamed Abdi Mareeye has said the government will reconstruct the iconic Urubo Hotel which has been in ruins for many years.

Speaking to the media after a brief visit to the building, the minister vowed to rebuild the hotel which was the main tourism attraction in Somalia during the Siyad Barre rule between 1969 and 1991.

Boost tourism

“We want to rebuild Orubo so that we would boost tourism in the country, and that we would do away with the use of other hotels, Urobo would best serve the government in hosting main state events and even accommodating visiting foreign dignitaries,”said the minister.

Urubo is located along the popular Liddo beach in Mogadishu with panoramic view of the city which makes the hotel an ideal and perfect tourism attraction in Somalia.

Mogadishu beaches which used to be tourism destinations for many Western and Arab tourists have for years not hosted any foreigners but returning Diaspora and locals flock there in numbers especially on Fridays, a weekend in Somalia’s calendar.

More airlines

The tourism docket which is incorporated into the information and heritage ministry and has been largely just ceremonial with no much activities. Government is now trying to add Mogadishu and Somalia on the world tourism maps after more than 20 years of anarchy which forced holiday makers to shun the clean beaches of the country out of security fears.

Security has now improved tremendously, international carries like Turkish Airlines, and Fly Dubai and Ethiopian Airlines have now started flights to Somalia.  This has increased stakes in Somalia, but challenges still remain, part of it being the perception that Somalia is still a dangerous place to visit.

Goobjoog News