Gulf Tourism Integration between Potentials and Challenges: A Geographical Study

Research Abstract

Gulf Tourism Integration has an effect on the economic sectors in terms of improving the social and cultural lifestyle and increasing cultural, social and communication cooperation. This kind of co-operation leads to a cohesion of the Gulf peoples towrads their potentials and challenges they may face. The revitalization of inter-Gulf tourism will also lead to the expansion and productivity of the region economy. Indeed, tourism industry is a heavy employment one. The rate of job creation in the tourism sector is 1.5 times faster than in other sectors. The World Bank study suggests that the cost of creating jobs in the tourism sector ranges from 20-40 $. So, tourism industry is important like any productive activity that provides economic or social services to the people of the region. Gulf tourism integeration is a credit of the strategic balance in the future. The GCC countries have great potentials to achieve sustainable development and integration in tourism sector. By looking at the modest share of these countries in the international indusrty market, the rate of tourism competitivness in 2013 of the UAE is around 4.86 which ranks twenty eight palce in the world followed by Qatar, Oman, Saudia Arabia and Kuwait that are ranked 41- 55- 57-62- 101 globally. In this respect, tourism potentials of the GCC countries are not exploited, and tourism performance of many countries are low unlike the required level. From the above, many people wonder why there is no Gulf tourism integration despite the establishment of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) for more than 30 years, however the Gulf peoples share the same language, religion, history and close social relations. The present study depicts the relationship between toursim integeration on the one hand and anthropoly and sociology on the other hand which contribute to the subject of social and cultural impacts of tourism. Hence, the study raises and poses two important questions: What are the potentials of Gulf Tourism Integration? What are the proposed solutions and strategies for overcoming the challenges of Gulf tourism integration?

Research Keywords

Tourism Integeration- Gulf Tourism Developemt- Econoicmic Dimensions- Social Dimensions- Cultural Dimensions - Gulf Countries