Tourism: Developing tourism in the Middle East

Gulf News (Jumana Al Taminmi)

With a 9.5 per cent average annual increase in tourist arrivals between 2000 and 2004, the Middle East region has already recorded the fastest growth of any region and comparable with worldwide travel and tourism (T&T) of 2.7 per cent during the same period, international tourism figures show. . . .

The Middle East is the cradle of ancient civilisations and the birthplace of world's monotheist religions. The region's precious collections of archeological monuments and ruins, including wonders of ancient and modern times: Egypt's pyramids, Iraq's hanging gardens of Babylon (which today exists through a duplicate), lighthouse of Alexandria, and recently Jordan's Petra.

Furthermore, the region has a long list of diverse nature to offer today . . .

The diversity of the region calls for a diverse "forms of tourism, new tastes and new styles of travel", say experts, especially that there are big potential for the sector, as shown by international figures. According to a paper presented to the World Economic Forum last year, the Middle East's 9.6 million arrivals in 1990, accounted for just 2.2 per cent of international tourist arrivals. In the same year, tourist arrivals in all of Africa, including North Africa, were just 15.2 million.

"Today, travel and tourism in the Arab world still accounts for only six per cent of international tourist arrivals showing the growth opportunities that remain for the sector," according to the 2007 paper.

Apart from actively promoting tourism on a world-wide platform, following the footsteps of some Gulf countries, and formulating a more cohesive tourism strategies, "cultural uniqueness of the region needs to be better communicated to the world," said Dahmash. "There is an opportunity to create awareness of the wide-range of tourism options available in the region."

Dahmash strongly believe one of the avenues that can explored in tourism in Middle East is "heritage and cultural tourism," where the world's heritage sites are highlighted, as well as other sports activities, such as diving, golf, motor racing and equestrian events.

Johns Hopkins University's Walid Hazbun, who wrote several papers on tourism in the Arab world, believe some of the new tastes of travel might include everything from religion-oriented travel to ecotourism and adventure travel in which Arab travellers make up only a limited share.