Tourism in Arab countries steady with 2-6% growth rate despite international slowdown

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As soon as the international economy started to recover from the global financial crisis, another crisis appeared in the form of "Swine Flu", affecting international tourism. The World Tourism Organisation recently (WTO) revealed its estimates of the declining tourism rates, which ranged from 0% to 2-3% lower, while the number of tourists during the last two months has declined by 7.7% compared to the same period in 2008, a value higher than the 2% decline predicted by the WTO for 2009.

But there is a ray of hope for Arab countries, as statistics show that Arab countries are better prepared to overcome the tourism crisis than any other area in the world. The Middle East has had the highest touristic growth rate in the world (an increase of 11% in 2008 compared to 2% in the rest of the world), and the WTO expects tourism in Arab countries to increase by 2-6% this year.

H.E. Saeed Ahmed Mohammed bin Butti, Chairman of Al Dhiafa Holding and Jinan Hotels and Resorts, believes there is a need to enhance tourism in Arab countries, and to enhance tourism services, as tourism is one of the important industries contributing to the Arab World's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). "The tourism industry heavily relies on attracting tourists. This concept, in turn, depends on diversifying tourism services, which are no longer exclusive to visiting museums and historical places, but also include religious tourism, medical tourism, tourism for relaxation purposes, sports tourism, education and art tourism, and touring for festivals and conferences," he explains.