Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Newspapers
The Arab Times
,
Kuwait Times
and
Daily Star
are Kuwait's three English-language newspapers.
They include useful 'What's On' listings. International newspapers are available (usually a day or two late) at ma-
jor hotels.
Radio
Radio Kuwait - also known locally as the Superstation - broadcasts on 99.7 FM; it plays mostly rock and
roll, with some local news and features. The US military's Armed Forces Radio & TV Service (AFRTS) can be
heard on 107.9 FM; it broadcasts a mixture of music, news and chat shows.
TV
Kuwait TV's Channel 2 broadcasts programs in English each evening from around 2pm to midnight. Many
hotels, even the smaller ones, have satellite TV.
Smoking
Much more prevalent than in neighbouring Gulf countries on buses, in taxis, at the airport, and in res-
taurants and hotel rooms.
Weights & Measures
Kuwait uses the metric system.
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
In addition to the main Islamic holidays, Kuwait celebrates three public holidays:
New Year's Day
1 January
National Day
25 February
Liberation Day
26 February
SAFE TRAVEL
Traffic Accidents
The many spectacularly twisted bits of metal left by the roadside are
testament to the fact that Kuwait has one of the highest road accident rates in the world.
Indeed, one third of all deaths in Kuwait are driving-related. The horrifying scenes on TV
have not deterred Kuwait's drivers, despite government efforts to slow the pace down with
radar surveillance. As such, it's hard to recommend driving in Kuwait unless you're con-
fident of holding your own in the face of sheer lunacy. A police sign at traffic lights
speaks volumes: 'Crossing the red signal leads to death or prison'.
Discarded Ordinance
Although the country has now been cleared of mines after the Gulf
War, you should still remember
not to pick up any unfamiliar object
in the desert and to
stick to established tracks.
IS KUWAIT SAFE?
At the time of writing, pro-democracy protests, rumbling on into a second year after the Arab Spring of 2011,
were still an issue the government was trying to resolve. Tourists were neither involved or threatened by the
demonstrations nor by the government's attempts to curb the gatherings. As such, there is no reason for tourists to
avoid the country at present but it would be prudent to check goverment travel advisory websites for updates be-
fore committing to a visit. Refer to the Safe Travel chapter for more information.
