ShareBy Faten Omar
KUWAIT: With billions of tourists traveling to international destinations every year, tourism has become a leading sector. The World Cup has boosted the global recognition of both Qatar and the wider GCC region as touristic destinations. Hundreds of tourists have visited Kuwait recently to explore the culture, cuisine and traditions of the country. “We were coming to Qatar to see the FIFA World Cup, so we thought it would be a great opportunity to explore other countries in the Gulf — and we found a great surprise in Kuwait. It is not a big country, but the generosity of its people compensates for everything,” Argentinian Ale Salvino told Kuwait Times.
The full-time traveler visited Kuwait with his Lithuanian wife Kristina, roaming the country to explore it. “Jaber Causeway with a panoramic view of the city was the most scenic. It is worth mentioning that the efficiency at the airport was remarkable. It took us less than 10 minutes to get our visas on arrival and we got out really quickly. As tourists and world travelers, this is extremely important,” he said.
Ale, who started traveling when he was 18, has been to 87 countries, while Kristina, a pastry chef, has been to 52. Both travelers are YouTubers, documenting their journeys on the road to all 197 countries in the world. Kristina went on her first trip when was a teenager, on a school trip to Latvia. After that, she was focused on saving money for future trips.
Kristina is passionate about pastries, which is why she was fascinated by the traditional flatbread, which was their favorite food here. “Generally, we love a lot of dips/sauces with bread and anywhere we can find something similar is a great moment for us. The basmati rice that you prepare with spices is also tasty. In general, we do not like sugar in tea, but in Kuwait, this was impossible, as the tea is fairly strong, so sugar is actually needed, and now we understand why people add it,” he added.
Ale and Kristina explored the country and the people. “We found a lot of mixed nationalities in Kuwait. So our experience was also mixed. Most people we met were super friendly and hospitable, and we felt very comfortable. We had a great time and we hope we can come back and explore much more in the coming years.”
German traveler Dustin Scholz, who has visited 43 countries, was attracted to the architectural design of the Grand Mosque. “I had an interesting tour and learned a lot about the architecture and the interior design of the mosque,” he said. Scholz expressed to Kuwait Times his eagerness to explore Kuwait more to know more about its history, noting “Kuwait is a small country, but unfortunately I was able only to see the city. There are many historical places and museums where you can learn something about the culture,” he said.
As a pescatarian, Scholz felt blessed to eat delicious fish meals in Kuwait. “Sometimes it can be hard to find something without meat. But fish with rice is very delicious and you can also find a lot of Indian and vegetarian food here in Kuwait. The Kuwaiti people are the most helpful people I met on my trip. I was picked up and dropped off at the airport for free. They were also guiding me to the best places and museums and invited me to dinner. I am very grateful for that,” he said.
