The changing face of tourism in the Middle East

When we imagine famous tourist spots in the Arab world one often pictures the famous Pyramids of Giza, the bustling market stalls of Marrakech or the white sands of Jumeirah Beach in Dubai. These places have firmly been fixed in peoples’ minds as some of the main tourist destinations in the region.

Recently however there has been much activity on the part of government tourist ministries to change and improve the tourist sectors in countries such as Jordan, Lebanon, Libya and Iraq, by targeting the infrastructure in these countries and the overcrowding in some tourist hotspots.

One way of developing the tourist sector in many of these countries is the idea of ecoutourism. This has been given a boost in places such as Oman, Lebanon and more recently Iraqi Kurdistan, offering activities such hiking, climbing, handgliding, white-water rafting and camping to newcomers.

Adel Fallawi, the general director of ‘Nature Iraq’ an NGO based in Suleimaniya in the Kurdish province told me that “Iraq has been shown in the media to be a war zone, but there is another side that needs to be shown”. He described to us the kinds of activities that adventure seekers take part in when they come to this area of outstanding natural beauty and the fact that tourists have been attracted because of the political stability that this part of the country is enjoying.

Environmental campaigners and reports often describe the negative impact that too much tourism can have on nature, such as excessive water consumption, ground erosion, litter, and air pollution from vehicles. A clear example of all these kinds of environmental effects can be seen in Lebanon in the summer months with large  numbers of Gulf tourist and Lebanese expats coming to visit relatives or unwind in the country’s cooler mountain temperatures.

Ordinary Lebanese citizens often get frustrated during these busy summer months at the clogged up streets, increases in prices, air pollution and power cuts. Omar Shibly, a citizen from Beirut’s Mar Elias neighbourhood told us “the most annoying thing in summer is the overcrowding, the fact you can’t park your car anywhere, the power cuts, and the extortionate prices in many places, and the speeding by people who bring their cars over and race around as if they’re above the law!”

Lebanese Tourism MP Fadi Abboud told me, everybody knows Lebanon has huge problems providing sufficient electricity. But the fact is tourists aren’t affected by any electricity cuts. The government is working hard to address the domestic electricity needs” highlighting the reality that citizens are often obliged to have power cuts of up to three hours a day at the expense of supply to touristic areas.  

In trying to improve the image of tourism in Lebanon amongst its citizens, the minister also added that there was currently a drive to encourage tourists to visit locations outside of Beirut and during other seasons, such as skiing in the winter and visits to the Roman, Greek and Phoenician ruins in the other coastal cities. Package holidays were intrinsic in this new drive which would attract more mid-range holiday makers as opposed to the majority of wealthy Gulf tourists with money to burn that mostly visit now.

Another famous destination where flocks of tourists call upon is Jordan’s rose red city of Petra, but where the local infrastructure needs urgent updating to cope with the level of visitors it receives.

Aysar Akrawi of the Petra National Trust (PNT) told me the number of daily tourists to Petra is around the 5140 per day mark, against the suggested UNESCO management plan of 1500 visitors a day to lower the impact of erosion on the site. Nasser Shreideh, head of the Petra Development Authority told us “Petra is in urgent need of developing its infrastructure to meet the needs of increased numbers of tourists, such as hotels, walkways, restaurants and water services.” The lack of these basic amenities and services means that often tourists come only for a few hours and visit the most famous attractions such as the city’s Treasury and main spine (the main tourist trail), whilst neglecting the majority of the city which several days if explored properly. The development of these amenities is intrinsic he says in getting tourists to stay longer in Petra and thus contributing more to the local economy.