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Libya: An about-face.
by Sandy
Dhuyvetter,
Executive producer of Travel Talk Radio
San
Francisco – April 14, 1986
Life
on earth begins with birth and it ends with death. The concept
isn’t rocket science but today I was going to feel and touch
the notion down to my very soul.
I started the day of April 14th, 1986
as I had for the past 8 months, pregnant and full of hope
for my son’s birth date the following month in May. But in a
moments notice, the reality is that this tiny 7 lb baby has
decided to make an early entry into our beautiful world. Giving
birth is truly one of lives most precious moments, yet as I
waited for my little bundle of joy to join me, I found the
solace of television to keep my mind away from the pinching
pains and the reminder of what’s in store. And then it
happened, in full color, real time and right before my eyes. The
announcement came that the United States had just bombed Libya.
Upset and in shock,
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I
found even more sadness when I learned the
baby daughter of the Libyan leader,
Colonel Moammar Gadhafi,
had been killed in the attack. Regardless of right and wrong, at
that moment I was somehow forever linked to Libya. The life and
death of these two children on that day brought me closer to the
Libyan people with whom I had never interacted. Through the
years to this day at each birthday celebrated for my son, I stop
to reflect on the young and fleeting life of Colonel
Gadhafi’s daughter. This coincidence of fate has forever left
its imprint on me.
Berlin – March 17, 2004
Eighteen years later. It is mid March 2004, and I am in Berlin
attending the world’s largest annual travel conference,
working as a travel talk radio host and producing audio and
visual love fests of travel. The news is in, just weeks earlier,
Colonel
Gadhafi has solemnly pledged that he and his county would work
within the boundaries of a global community, eliminate all WMD
programs and seek peace and prosperity for its citizens. With
that announcement, a rush of thoughts exploded in my head. Here
was an opportunity to co-exist in this small world, to live side
by side where there is no more “wall”. Strangers no more and
a time to be finally free to experience first hand each
other’s countries and finally creating a warm and respectful
bond that has the capability of bringing millions of people
together. We were witnessing an incredible step by one of
Africa’s leading countries that will hopefully prove to be a
catalyst for more countries to come forward and take positive
steps to make the planet safer for generations to come.
It’s 4pm in Germany. The phone rings and the opportunity
unfolds. I have been invited to do an exclusive interview with
Colonel Gadhafi’s Minister of Tourism, Mr. Ammar Mabrouk
Eltayef. Formally, his title is Secretary of the general
people’s Committee for Tourism Libya. Mr. Eltayef’s attaché tells me that, due to security concerns,
they will only disclose the location of our meeting an hour
before the interview. We wonder as we sit in our hotel room
where the cloak of night will take us. Berlin and its incredible
history as a city once divided and now reunited is an incredibly
surreal, yet also ideal, setting for our meeting. At the
appointed time, we dial the number given to us to get the
location. Our call is answered with a cheerful greeting in
English. Our
meeting is be at the newly opened Ritz-Carlton Hotel located in
the center of Berlin, on prestigious Potsdamer Platz within a
few meters of the now razed Berlin Wall. We will have one hour
to share with Mr. Eltayef and advised that he will then be off
to yet another meeting.
As we sit in the fabulous lobby of the new Ritz-Carlton, I am
even more vividly reminded of the symbolism of the location for
this interview and wonder if the Libyan delegation will also
recognize the significance of the site. Soon Solieman Abboud,
the General Manager of SARI Travel & Tourism, greets us. His
warm handshake and sincere smile reminded us of seeing an old
friend. Refreshments were shared and we are then escorted into a
beautiful conference room where Patrick Peartree, our Program
Director and I worked feverishly
getting our broadcast equipment ready. Once we were a technical
“go”, Mr. Eltayef was escorted into the room and introduced
to us. His English was as solid as his sharp good looks, and the
twinkle in his eyes conveyed that he was most pleased to be here
with us. The sense of warmth in his style made us feel very
welcomed. Before the interview, Mr. Eltayef tells me he would be
more comfortable with an interpreter. I assure him his English
is perfect but welcome Mr. Mohamed Bayoud to our conversation. As the
interview began, we hear fascinating descriptions of Libya.
We learn about Libya’s new role and aspirations in the
world, its people and its natural resources, including some of
the most incredible beaches on earth. In hopes of winning the
2010 World Cup, Libya has pledged over $9.5 billion USD to build
a first class infrastructure and stadiums to host the
prestigious event. With a population of only about 5 million
people in a country nearly the size of Alaska, Libya offers a
fantastic opportunity for outside investment and development.
It is estimated that 25% of the visitors to Libya come to
partake in Archaeology tourism while only 6% come to enjoy the
resorts. Libya plans to promote itself as a changed nation
desiring to join the world family of nations while at the same
time aggressively courting foreign investors and, in particular,
the travel industry. Attracting foreign investors, resort
developers and new industries is the logical step for developing
Libya into a leading provider of leisure travel products. After
all, the country is the size of Germany, France and Holland
combined and has over 2000 kilometers (approximately 1200 miles)
of undeveloped beachfront property on the Mediterranean Sea.
There is no doubt that Libya is ready to step up to the plate
and compete with some of the finest destinations in the world!
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Travel Talk Radio would like to give special thanks to:
Soleiman Abboud, General Manager of Sari Travel & Tourism.
Soleiman was instrumental in arranging our introduction to the
Minister of Tourism and his entourage. Thank you Soleiman.
Soleiman
Abboud, General Manager of Sari
Travel & Tourism.
Mobile: + 218 91 212-5609 Tel. + 218 21 4873021. Fax: +
218 21 4870457
www.sarilibyatravel.com
Sandy Dhuyvetter lives in San Diego CA where her company
Celestialink produces
Travel Talk Radio and Travel Talk News. Go to www.TravelTalkRadio.com
for more information.
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Undeveloped
land lay waiting for hoteliers, new resorts
and other investors.
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Mr. Ammar Mabrouk Eltayef, Sandy Dhuyvetter
and Mr. Mohamed Bayoud |
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