Tourism Growth in the Middle EastIndi, Melina, Vanya, and hafiz.

Before we start…

1990

Iraq invaded Kuwait in order to take control of its oil reserves. This caused a UN intervention led by the United States.

Kuwait was eventually liberated and Iraq was put under a number of UN-imposed sanctions.

1993

The World Trade Center in Manhattan was struck by a bomb attack, killing six people and injuring over a thousand.

The attack was linked to Al-Qaeda, an anti-American international militant organisation based in the Middle East.

2000

An Al-Qaeda bomb attack targeted the American warship USS Cole in Yemen, killing 17 sailors.

The Second Intifada began in Palestine. Thousands of Palestinians and Israelis were killed in the ensuing five-year conflict.

2001

Twenty Al-Qaeda agents hijacked four passenger airliners and flew them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. An attack on the Capitol Building was planned but foiled by the plane’s passengers.

The attacks killed almost 3,000 people and triggered the War on Terror, severely damaging the Middle East’s image.

2003

A US-led international coalition invaded Iraq and toppled Saddam Hussein’s regime under the suspicion of a secret program to develop weapons of mass destruction.

Rate of Tourism GrowthTotal tourism receipt in million USDs

Year 1990 – 1995 1995 – 2000 2000 – 2005 Income growth +112.82% +61.09% +56.87%

Why did this happen?

Middle Eastern countries benefit from massive oil reserves. The astronomical revenues they gain from oil trade hugely benefit their economies.

This allows Middle Eastern countries to depend on oil trade instead of making drastic industrial advances to expand its economy. As a result, these countries have been able to obtain great riches and afford luxuries with little effort.

This has greatly helped the Middle East’s tourism industry. Government bodies and oil businesses are able to build a host of tourism facilities, often extraordinarily (if unnecessarily) luxurious. Dubai’s Burj al-Arab, for example, has become synonymous with Middle Eastern wealth for many.

These facilities has greatly elevated the reputation of places such as Dubai, Beirut and Cairo among international travellers, and overall created a more positive, enticing image of the Middle East.

Another important factor in Middle Eastern tourism is history. The Middle East has a long, rich history dating back thousands of years. Ancient kingdoms, empires and sultanates left a wide range of famous landmarks that many still find fascinating now.

Religion is undeniably a vital factor here. Abrahamic religions, Baha’ism, Zoroastrianism, among others, originated in the Middle East. Many of those who visit the Middle East are pilgrims seeking to carry out rituals such as hajj and discover religious experiences.

خالص*****