Adventure-seekers who flocked to a remote Yemeni island for its otherworldly landscapes are now stuck there as regional tensions shut down routes in and out. Socotra's deputy governor for culture and tourism told AFP that "more than 400 foreign tourists" have been stranded on the island in the Arabian Sea after Yemen declared a state of emergency and closed all entry points late last month. Some of those tourists are American, CNN reports. Socotra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for its dragon's blood trees and stark cliffs, had largely escaped the direct impact of Yemen's long-running war and had become a niche destination, especially for travelers coming through the United Arab Emirates.
That insulation has eroded as a power struggle between Saudi Arabia and the UAE spills over. Socotra is controlled by the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council, which has expanded its hold over southern Yemen and driven out Saudi-aligned government forces. Saudi airstrikes on a UAE-linked shipment in Yemen and the STC's plan for an independence referendum have further rattled the region, prompting flight cancellations and diversions. The US State Department has warned against all travel to Yemen, saying it cannot provide consular services there, including on Socotra.
For now, tourists say they are safe and have adequate supplies but no clear exit plan. An American traveler told CNN there are "all sorts of Westerners here," estimating the number in the hundreds. A Dutch-Polish visitor estimated up to 100 Polish nationals on the island. Embassies contacted in the UAE and Saudi Arabia have offered limited help, hampered by the absence of Western diplomatic missions inside Yemen. Some stranded travelers have been advised to consider taking commercial ships to Oman and flying home from there, but many are simply waiting for flights to resume on an unspecified date.
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