Singaporean woman among 420 tourists stranded on Yemeni island amid rising tensions in country
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About 400 tourists stranded on the Yemeni island of Socotra on Jan 1 and 2 were directed to a campsite.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF MS CHEN
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A Singaporean woman was stranded on the Yemeni island of Socotra after her flight home was cancelled amid escalating tensions between factions in the country.
Speaking to The Straits Times, Ms Chen, who wanted to be known by only her surname for safety reasons, said she was preparing to board her flight home to Singapore on Jan 2 after a group tour on Socotra when she was stopped by soldiers at the airport.
Ms Chen, who is in her 30s, said Socotra International Airport was guarded by soldiers from the Southern Transitional Council barring travellers from entering the airport premises.
The Southern Transitional Council is a separatist group that is backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Ms Chen then found out from news reports that all flights in and out of the island were suspended, with the airspace closed due to clashes in Yemen amid escalating tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE
“They asked us to turn back,” Ms Chen said. She added that she learnt of the flight cancellation only about four hours before the scheduled departure.
Ms Chen and the group she had been travelling with were directed to a campsite near the city of Qalansiyah on the island. About 420 foreigners, including more than 60 Russians, remained on the island, news agency AFP reported.
Ms Chen said the stranded tourists who were holidaying on the island were still at the campsite with tents pitched around them.
The travel disruption comes amid escalating tensions in Yemen, which has been embroiled in a civil war since 2014, after the Iran-backed Houthi movement overran the country’s north and took over the capital Sanaa.
About 400 tourists stranded on the Yemeni island of Socotra on Jan 1 and 2 were directed to a campsite.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF MS CHEN
Saudi Arabia and the UAE intervened a year later, supporting the local Yemeni government and militias against the Houthis. Disagreements between rival factions with competing agendas have, however, increasingly placed Saudi Arabia and the UAE at odds over the conflict.
In recent days, tensions boiled over into an open dispute between the Gulf powers, with strikes carried out as recently as Jan 3 in the eastern province of Hadhramaut.
Hadhramaut, located on mainland Yemen, lies about 380km to 400km from the island of Socotra.
Hoq Cave on Socotra is known for its dramatic views and geological formations.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF MS CHEN
Ms Chen, who arrived on Socotra on Dec 26, 2025, said she booked a tour to the island through travel agency Rocky Road Travel almost a year ago.
The road less travelled, beautiful natural landscapes and new experiences were what drew her, she said, sharing photographs of the scenery from her trip.
Things took an unfortunate turn, however, when the conflict in Yemen came to a head. “I am deeply disappointed that this happened at a time meant for new beginnings,” she said.
The Yemeni island of Socotra is known for its natural rock formations and beautiful trees.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF MS CHEN
Ms Chen and the rest of her travel group, comprising 11 other tourists and a guide, have been getting help from Rocky Road Travel, which has arranged for food supplies and tents at the campsite.
On Jan 4, Ms Chen and an American tourist from her group moved to a hotel closer to Socotra International Airport so they would be able to get to the airport quickly when flights resume.
She said they managed to hitch a ride in a car the tour agency sent for a supply run, as they were headed in the same direction.
Ms Chen on Jan 5 said she was not yet able to get a flight out of the island and was still awaiting updates.
Socotra is home to about 50,000 people, who are mostly indigenous to the island. There are few hotels on Socotra, which is a largely unspoilt biodiversity hot spot. Eco-lodging is a common accommodation option for visitors, who can also stay at campsites run by Socotran families on the island.
The Singapore Embassy in Abu Dhabi and Consulate-General in Dubai, in a post on Facebook on Dec 31, said there were recent cases of Singaporeans travelling for leisure to Yemen, including to Socotra.
A group of Singaporeans had experienced “a delay of several days returning home due to flight disruptions”, it said.
The foreign mission said there is an existing travel advisory from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) for Singaporeans to defer all travel to Yemen, owing to the ongoing conflict there.
It added that Singapore does not have diplomatic representation in Yemen, which limits MFA’s ability to extend consular assistance in the event of an emergency.
