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Country Commercial Guides FY 2000: Eritrea Report prepared by U.S. Embassy Asmara, released July 1999 Note*

CHAPTER IX: BUSINESS TRAVEL

BUSINESS CUSTOMS:

BUSINESS CUSTOMS ARE SIMILAR TO THOSE IN THE WESTERN WORLD. DRESS IS FAIRLY FORMAL, FOR MEN A SUIT AND TIE IS APPROPRIATE FOR BUSINESS AND GOVERNMENT MEETINGS; FOR WOMEN A DRESS OR BUSINESS SUIT IS ACCEPTABLE. IN ASMARA THE CLIMATE IS COOL, DUE TO ITS 7,300 FEET ALTITUDE, SO FORMAL DRESS IS NOT UNCOMFORTABLE. FOR THE MOST PART, ERITREAN WOMEN DO NOT WEAR A VEIL, AND VISITORS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO. BUSINESS CARDS ARE GENERALLY EXCHANGED. ERITREANS TEND TO BE CAUTIOUS ABOUT ESTABLISHING RELATIONS WITH OUTSIDERS, BUT ONCE TRUST IS ESTABLISHED THEY ARE FORTHCOMING PARTNERS. MEETINGS WITH GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS TEND TO BE SHORT BECAUSE OF THE DEMANDS ON THEIR TIME, PARTICULARLY SINCE RECENT CIVIL SERVICE DOWNSIZING.

TRAVEL ADVISORY AND VISAS:

A VALID ERITREAN VISA IS REQUIRED FOR ENTRY, AS IS A VACCINATION FOR YELLOW FEVER. AIRPORT VISAS ARE NOT AVAILABLE. VISAS MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE ERITREAN EMBASSY IN WASHINGTON DC (1708 NEW HAMPSHIRE AVE. NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20009 TEL.: 202-319-1991 FAX: 202-319-1304). OVERSEAS, INQUIRIES MAY BE MADE AT THE NEAREST ERITREAN EMBASSY OR CONSULATE.

LOCAL TIME, BUSINESS HOURS AND HOLIDAYS:

LOCAL TIME IS GMT+2, SEVEN HOURS AHEAD OF EASTERN STANDARD TIME (EIGHT HOURS AHEAD OF EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME). BUSINESS HOURS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

GOVERNMENT OFFICES

(ASMARA): 0700-12:00; 1400-1800 M-F
(MASSAWA & ASSAB): 0630-1500 M-F
BANKS: 0800-1200; 1400-1600 M-F
0800-1200 SAT

BUSINESSES

(ASMARA): 0900-1300; 1600-2000 M-SA
(MASSAWA & ASSAB): 0630-1200; 1700-2200 M-SA

NEW YEAR'S DAY - JANUARY 1
ORTHODOX CHRISTMAS- JANUARY 7
*END OF RAMADAN- MARCH 24
*PILGRIMAGE TO MECCA- MAY 9
INDEPENDENCE DAY- MAY 24
MARTYRS' DAY- JUNE 20
*BIRTHDAY OF THE PROPHET- JULY 16
START OF THE ARMED STRUGGLE- SEPTEMBER 1
CHRISTMAS DAY- DECEMBER 25

*MUSLIM HOLIDAYS ARE LUNAR-BASED AND EXACT DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE FROM YEAR TO YEAR.

BUSINESS INFRASTRUCTURE

TRANSPORTATION:

THE FOLLOWING AIRLINES SERVICE ASMARA: LUFTHANSA, EGYPT AIR, SAUDIA AIR, YEMEN AIRLINES, AND RED SEA AIR. ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES, WHICH USED TO MONOPOLIZE AIR TRAVEL BETWEEN ASMARA AND ADDIS ABABA, STOPPED FLYING TO ERITREA SINCE THE FLARE UP OF THE BORDER CONFLICT IN MAY, 1998. DJIBOUTI AIR AND DALO AIRLINES, DISCONTINUED THEIR FLIGHT SERVICES, AFTER THE SOURING OF RELATIONS BETWEEN ERITREA AND DJIBOUTI. DIRECT TRAVEL FROM ASMARA TO ADDIS ABABA AND VICE VERSA IS NOT POSSIBLE AT PRESENT; THE SAME SITUATION PERTAINS ALSO TO DJIBOUTI AND SUDAN. SOME ROADS IN ERITREA ARE IN POOR CONDITION AND MANY ARE UNPAVED. AS A LEGACY OF THE WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE LANDMINES AND UNEXPLODED ORDNANCE LITTER THE COUNTRYSIDE IN MANY AREAS, CONTINUING TO CAUSE INJURIES AND DEATHS. ALTHOUGH A DE-MINING EFFORT IS UNDERWAY, IT IS WISE TO CONSIDER ALL AREAS THAT ARE NOT WELL TRAVELED AS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS DUE TO LIVE MINES. AREAS NORTH AND WEST OF KEREN ARE KNOWN TO BE HEAVILY MINED. THERE IS ALSO A RISK OF ENCOUNTERING ERITREAN ISLAMIC JIHAD ELEMENTS IN THE WESTERN PART OF ERITREA; SEE ABOVE SECTION ON POLITICAL VIOLENCE. FOR UPDATED TRAVEL INFORMATION CONTACT THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE INTERNET ADDRESS: HTTP://TRAVEL.STATE.GOV. U.S. TRAVELERS MAY HEAR RECORDED INFORMATION BY CALLING THE DEPARTMENT AT 202-647-5225 FROM A TOUCH-TONE TELEPHONE OR RECEIVE INFORMATION BY AUTOMATED FAX BY DIALING 202-647-3000.

BUSINESS SERVICES:

BUSINESS SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE IN ASMARA AND, TO A LESSER DEGREE, IN MASSAWA AND ASSAB. OUTSIDE OF THESE URBAN CENTERS PHONE AND AUTOMOBILE SERVICES ARE NOT WIDELY AVAILABLE, AND HOTELS MAY LACK HOT WATER AND ELECTRICITY. INTERNATIONAL TELEPHONE CALLS CAN BE MADE EITHER AT THE MAJOR HOTELS, AT THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS CENTER IN DOWNTOWN ASMARA, MASSAWA AND ASSAB, OR AT PHONE-CARD PAYPHONES FOUND ALL OVER ASMARA AND MASSAWA. THE ERITREAN TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICE (ETS) HAS BEEN ABLE TO INSTALL PAYPHONES IN THE MAJOR TOWNS AROUND THE COUNTRY INCLUDING MENDEFERA, DEKEMHARE, KEREN, AND ASSAB. ETS HOPES TO HAVE AT LEAST ONE PAY PHONE IN EVERY VILLAGE WITHIN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. FACSIMILE SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE AT MAJOR HOTELS AND THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS OFFICE.

HOUSING/ACCOMMODATION:

IN ASMARA AND MASSAWA GOOD HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS ARE AT CAPACITY ONLY IN THE SUMMER SEASON. HOTEL RESERVATIONS SHOULD BE MADE AT LEAST TWO WEEKS IN ADVANCE, SINCE ROOMS MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE ON SHORT NOTICE. THE NEW HOTEL INTERCONTINENTAL ASMARA WILL BE COMPLETED BY NOVEMBER 1999 AND THE EXPANSION OF THE BOLOGNA AND EXPO HOTELS SHOULD ALLEVIATE THE ROOM SHORTAGES AND BRING MUCH NEEDED COMPETITION. THE CHOICE OF HOTELS IN MASSAWA AND ASSAB ARE MUCH MORE LIMITED BOTH IN TERMS OF QUANTITY AND QUALITY. THERE IS A WIDE RANGE IN THE DAILY RATES FOR HOTELS, FROM A SINGLE FROM U.S. $16 TO U.S. $74 PER NIGHT AND U.S. $21 TO U.S. $100 FOR A DOUBLE. HOTELS ARE LISTED IN APPENDIX H.

ALTHOUGH PRICES HAVE BEEN DECLINING DUE TO THE WAR, WESTERN QUALITY OFFICE SPACE AND HOUSING ARE RELATIVELY EXPENSIVE, COMPARED TO HOTEL ACCOMMODATION.

LANGUAGE: THERE IS NO OFFICIAL LANGUAGE IN ERITREA BUT THE LOCAL LANGUAGE TIGRINYA AND ARABIC ARE THE WORKING LANGUAGES. ENGLISH IS WIDELY SPOKEN BY GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND BUSINESSES. THERE IS AN ENGLISH LANGUAGE WEEKLY NEWSPAPER, "THE ERITREA PROFILE," POPULAR ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSMAGAZINES AND BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE IN ASMARA. ITALIAN IS WIDELY SPOKEN BY OLDER ERITREANS AND MANY BUSINESSMEN. ARABIC IS ALSO WIDELY SPOKEN.

CREDIT CARDS ARE NOT WIDELY ACCEPTED. AS OF JULY 1999, ONLY SOME OF THE AIRLINES AND ONE HOTEL (THE SUNSHINE) ACCEPT THEM. GENERALLY, FOREIGNERS MUST PAY BILLS AT MAJOR HOTELS IN U.S. DOLLARS OR U.S. DOLLAR-DENOMINATION TRAVELERS CHECKS.

HEALTH:

MALARIAL PROPHYLAXIS IS NOT NEEDED IN ASMARA, BUT IS RECOMMENDED FOR TRAVEL IN THE LOWLANDS. ASMARA'S HIGH ALTITUDE (7,300 FEET) CAN SOMETIMES CAUSE PROBLEMS FOR PERSONS WITH HEART OR LUNG DISORDERS. MEDICAL FACILITIES IN ERITREA ARE EXTREMELY LIMITED. TRAVELERS ARE HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO BRING THEIR OWN SUPPLIES OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS AND PREVENTATIVE MEDICINES. DOCTORS AND HOSPITALS EXPECT IMMEDIATE CASH PAYMENT FOR HEALTH CARE SERVICES. U.S. MEDICAL INSURANCE IS NOT ALWAYS VALID OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES. THE MEDICARE/MEDICAID PROGRAM DOES NOT PROVIDE FOR PAYMENT OF MEDICAL SERVICES OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES. IN SOME CASES, SUPPLEMENTAL MEDICAL INSURANCE WITH SPECIFIC OVERSEAS COVERAGE, INCLUDING MEDICAL EVACUATION COVERAGE, HAS PROVEN USEFUL. FOR ADDITIONAL HEALTH INFORMATION, TRAVELERS MAY CONTACT THE CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION'S INTERNATIONAL TRAVELERS HOTLINE AT (404) 3324559; INTERNET: HTTP://WWW.CDC.GOV

FOOD:

ERITREAN, CONTINENTAL AND ITALIAN CUISINE IS READILY AVAILABLE IN ASMARA AND AT THE BETTER HOTELS IN MASSAWA. OUTSIDE ASMARA AND MASSAWA, THE CHOICES ARE LIMITED USUALLY TO A COUPLE OF ERITREAN DISHES AND/OR PASTA. ERITREAN FOOD IS SIMILAR TO ETHIOPIAN FOOD; IT IS AN ADVENTUROUS CUISINE AND UNLESS SPECIFIED OTHERWISE OFTEN HEAVILY SPICED WITH CHILI PEPPER (BERBERE). BEEF AND GOAT AND TO A LESSER EXTENT CHICKEN AND FISH ARE THE MAIN MEAT STAPLES. THE MEAT DISHES ARE OFTEN ACCOMPANIED WITH VEGETABLE DISHES OF CHICKPEAS, POTATOES, LENTILS, AND SPINACH. ERITREAN DISHES ARE SERVED WITH BREAD AND/OR INJERA, A FLAT MOIST BREAD MADE FROM THE LOCAL GRAIN TEFF.

Y2K COMPATIBILITY:

THE Y2K PROBLEM IS BEING ADDRESSED BY ERITREA'S CENTRAL BANK, WHICH HAS ASSURED CLIENTS THAT THIS WILL NOT POSE A PROBLEM IN COMMERCIAL BANKING SINCE MOST OPERATIONS ARE MANUAL. GIVEN THE LOW TECHNOLOGY AND SMALL RELIANCE ON COMPUTERS THROUGHOUT THE ECONOMY, OFFICIALS ARE CONFIDENT THEY CAN MAKE THE TRANSITION TO THE NEW MILLENNIUM WITH LITTLE DIFFICULTY.

THE PUBLICATION "SERVICE POSTS: GUIDE FOR BUSINESS REPRESENTATIVES" IS AVAILABLE FOR SALE BY SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS, U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON, D.C. 20402; TEL. (202) 512-1800; FAX (202) 512-2250. BUSINESS TRAVELERS TO ERITREA SEEKING APPOINTMENTS WITH U.S. EMBASSY-ASMARA OFFICIALS SHOULD CONTACT THE COMMERCIAL SECTION IN ADVANCE. THE COMMERCIAL SECTION CAN BE REACHED BY TELEPHONE AT (+291-1) 12-00-04 (GMT+2) OR BY FAX AT (+291-1) 12-75-84