By Andrew Harding
BBC News, Timbuktu
**The UK government is urging tourists not to visit Timbuktu in northern Mali because of the threat of terrorism.**The remote town is included on an updated travel advisory issued by the Foreign Office.
A British tourist, Edwin Dyer, was killed in Mali in June by a group which claims links to al-Qaeda.
But local officials insist the threat is being exaggerated. They say such warnings are already having a crippling effect on the tourism industry.
The Foreign Office says the threat of terrorism, and specifically kidnapping, is now high in Timbuktu. Travellers are urged to avoid all of northern Mali.
On a visit to the region, Foreign Office Minister Ivan Lewis said there was a real danger the security situation could deteriorate.
It is clear that the Sahara Desert is now being used as a hiding place for a relatively small group of militants linked to al-Qaeda.
In recent months they have kidnapped several Westerners for ransom, and fought battles against government and militia forces.
But on the sleepy, sandy streets of Timbuktu, people insist the threat is being exaggerated.
They say most incidents have happened far from the town itself.
The regional governor says poverty, not terrorism, is the biggest threat.
A special festival is being held next month in the hope of encouraging visitors.