Middle East
UAE Looks to Gain Major Boost as Global Tour Operators Look to Off-set Losses from ‘Arab Spring’ Movements
December 13, 2011
Thomas Cook, Europe’s second-largest tour operator, will bolster its tour offerings to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2012 to try and offset almost £20m in losses after it had to cancel trips to Egypt and Tunisia in response to the unrest caused by the Arab Spring – a move likely to be echoed by other major industry players, according to an article by Shane McGinley in ArabianBusiness.com. Egypt alone had previously accounted for seven percent of Thomas Cook’s profit, and the company had to obtain a rescue loan due to assisting vacationers affected by the events. McGinley elaborated on the toll in the region: The Arab Spring has taken a toll on tourism in cash-strapped nations from Jordan and Egypt to Morocco and Tunisia, costing the region more than $7bn, according to the Arab Tourism Organization in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia… Tourist arrivals to the Middle East are predicted to fall six percent across 2011 due to the impact of regional political unrest, the World Travel... Read More →
Spotlight: Destinations
Middle Eastern Travel Growing Stronger, IATA Reports
October 11, 2011
Assistant Editor’s Note: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has issued a report around the growth of Middle Eastern aviation market share, published here as it is of interest to our members in terms of global travel trends and shifts. Investment in Middle East infrastructure has proved a wise decision, with the region’s global aviation market share growing from 4% to 11% in the past decade. That figure is likely to rise given that the region is spending some $200 billion on new aircraft in the next 15 years. About $100 billion has been committed to airport expansion. Dubai has become the figurehead for the region’s progress. Aside from Dubai International, the emirate has opened Dubai World Central, which will become the world’s largest airport, ultimately handling 160 million passengers a year and 12 million tonnes of cargo. “If London Heathrow had a third runway, would we have seen the BA-Iberia merger?” asks Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports. “We... Read More →
By the Numbers
Tourists from Mideast, Europe Are Crowding into Turkey
September 15, 2011
Inbound Turkish tourism is undergoing a major boom, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article by Joe Parkinson, due to the country’s weak currency and its stability compared to neighboring countries in the region, which have been economically disturbed by various forms of political unrest. Istanbul hotels are reporting the highest occupancy in all of Europe, and many conference halls and beach resorts are booked between one and two years out. The latest data on Turkey’s $25 billion tourism industry show the number of tourists—local and foreign—increased by almost 11% in the first seven months of this year compared with the same period in 2010, according to the Ministry of Tourism. And 2010 was a bumper year. The visitors include record numbers arriving from Europe and the Mideast. The crowds are bringing with them a welcome injection of foreign currency. A heavy increase of Middle Eastern tourists has also been noted, with Iran falling close behind Germany and the... Read More →
Members "In the News"
An Unexpected Friday in Iraqi Kurdistan
August 12, 2011
Assistant Editor’s Note: The following article from Iraq-Business News features member Kurdistan Adventures and is re-published here with their permission. It’s early Friday morning and I’m in a SUV travelling from Sulymaniya to the picturesque border town of Ahmad Awa. But it’s not the SUV I expected to find myself in when I first visited Iraq, or more accurately the Kurdistan region of Iraq. The only green I see is the grass covered mountains we’re slowly winding up into. The only gun in sight is on a t-shirt of the young driver, also in charge of the music and obviously a fan of American rap. The only helmet I can see dangles unused from the handlebars of a local boy’s bike, who has been playing tag with our vehicle and waving to us. I’m in Kurdistan, northern Iraq and I am off to a barbecue. Every weekend, thousands of people jump in their vehicles, pile their picnic gear in the back and head up into the mountains for food, music, dancing and sheesha. The locals are... Read More →
Member Press Releases
VolunTourism Jordan Workshops and Familiarization Experiences Wrap-Up in Amman
July 26, 2011
Following a set of workshops and familiarization experiences in the North (Ajloun) and in the South (Petra) of Jordan, the Jordan Inbound Tour Operators Association (JITOA) concluded a three-part educational series on its most recent initiative – - VolunTourism Jordan – - for tour operators, community-based organizations (CBOs) and NGOs in Amman this past weekend. On Saturday morning, JITOA Member Services Director, Mahmoud Al Arab, delivered a compelling presentation on the potential of VolunTourism for the Hashemite Kingdom. He spoke specifically about the connection between tourism (Siyaha) and volunteering (Tatawo) and the significant role that CBOs and NGOs will play in the development of this initiative throughout Jordan. This workshop was followed by a session specifically directed to the tourism sector. David Clemmons, Founder of VolunTourism.org, explained the necessity for cooperation and collaboration between the tourism sector and the social sector and how such partnerships... Read More →
Member Press Releases
‘VolunTourism Jordan’ – Addressing the Increasing Global Adoption of Voluntary Service and Travel in the Hashemite Kingdom
July 18, 2011
JITOA, through the support of the European Commission (EU) funded – Jordan Service Modernisation Programme (JSMP)/JEDCO, is in the process of developing a national initiative: ‘VolunTourism Jordan’. “In response to a growing global emphasis on volunteering and service, tourism professionals in Jordan recognize the importance of creating itineraries that include both volunteering and tourism,” says Nizar Al Adarbeh, executive director of JITOA. “Here at JITOA, we are developing a national initiative, ‘VolunTourism Jordan’, to address this.” In 2010, JITOA invited David Clemmons, Founder of VolunTourism.org, to the Hashemite Kingdom in order to conduct a series of workshops on VolunTourism with NGOs, community-based organizations, tour operators, and local, regional, and national governmental figures. The primary focus was to provide a basic introduction to VolunTourism and to answer general questions on the subject. Expanding on these first, successful discussions and interactions... Read More →
Spotlight: Destinations
Research and Markets: Saudi Arabia Tourism Report Q1 2011 – Authorities Have Said They Want to Diversify Away from Their Dependence on Oil
July 17, 2011
DUBLIN - Research and Markets has announced the addition of the “Saudi Arabia Tourism Report Q1 2011” report to their offering. The Saudi Arabia Tourism Report provides industry professionals and strategists, corporate analysts, tourism associations, government departments and regulatory bodies with independent forecasts and competitive intelligence on Saudi Arabia’s tourism industry. Saudi Arabia’s tourism industry is unique in that despite the limitations of strict entrance visa regulations, the industry has strong growth potential. BMI forecasts tourist arrivals to the country to grow by 5% year-on-year (y-o-y) to 12.91mn in 2010, after remaining constant in 2009 at just over 12mn. The number of tourist arrivals is forecast to grow by an average of 6.7% y-o-y to the end of our forecast period in 2014. One of the main drivers for the tourism industry is religious tourism. Saudi Arabia is home to two of Islam’s holiest cities, Mecca and Medina, and every year... Read More →
Trade EventsMiddle East “Can Learn” From South Africa’s Rise As Top Responsible Tourism Destination World Green Tourism Conference In Abu Dhabi To Hear How South Africa Averted Mass Tourism Pitfalls
July 17, 2011
Abu Dhabi , UAE – The Middle East can learn valuable lessons from South Africa to help avoid mass tourism pitfalls en route to economic growth as a responsible tourism destination, an industry expert says. Jennifer Seif, Executive Director of Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA), says high resource consumption, and competition over natural resources, are common challenges to the Middle East’s and South Africa’s tourism industries. An equally important issue for both in the development of sustainable tourism is the need to find workable models for community-based tourism and effective partnerships between the public, private and civil society sectors, she adds. Seif will spotlight lessons learnt in South Africa when she addresses the second World Green Tourism conference at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) from December 5-7. The FTTSA, a non-profit organisation, has pioneered the world’s first tourism Fair Trade labeling initiative to give consumers environmentally... Read More →
Must Read/View
Tourists Not Terrorists: The Middle East Can Capitalize on World Eco-Travel Trends
June 14, 2011
Assistant Editor’s Note: The following article, originally titled Tourists Not Terrorists: The Middle East Can Capitalize on World Eco-Travel Trends and published in the Green Prophet, was written by Rola Tassabehji, and is re-printed here with her permission. Photography by Paul Ross. Photos copyright GlobalAdventure.us. The artists' and ex-pat haven of Sidi Bou Said, a suburb of Tunis. The three winners from the Middle East/MENA region are Tunisia, Bahrain and Qatar in new survey on tourism trends. The recently released 2011 “Travel and Tourism Competitiveness”report by the World Economic Forum, in co-operation with Booz & Company, reveals some interesting dynamics in the global tourism industry, including a shift to the East, with Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Asia rising in rank, while sustainability continues to establish itself as a key tourism trend. Political reality may be overshadowing any wide discourse on tourism in the Middle East. But the... Read More →
ATTA Events
ATTA Webinar: Jordan & Egypt — A Tourism Update from the Field
May 9, 2011
ATTA President Shannon Stowell recently returned (April 22-28, 2011) from Jordan and Egypt. He was part of a delegation assessing the effects on tourism, especially the safety implications for international tourists. During their visit, Shannon met with government officials from the U.S., Jordan and Egypt to get a better sense of what they think will happen in the near future. Watch the recording of the webinar presented by Shannon Stowell, along with guest speaker Malia Asfour - Director of the Jordan Tourism Board, on Friday, May 13, 2011. Read the Q&A with Shannon about his reflections on the trip and the developments since. Read More →
