Influence of political instability on the Middle East countries tourism development

Abstract

The article deals with the analyze of the trends and problems of tourism development in the Middle East, tourist resources of the countries of this region, trends of inbound, outbound and domestic tourism in the region, categories of tourists, and the main problems of tourism development in the region. «Arab Spring» has led to a sharp fall in popularity of the Middle East as a tourist destination. The subject of the article is the definition of key issues and the study of the impact of political instability in the countries of the Middle East on the trends of tourism development in the region. The purpose is to determine the impact of political instability on trends in the development and formation of tourist flows in the Middle East. Objectives: the study of the main problems that led to the decline of the region's popularity, as well as problems hampering the development of tourism and the overall potential in the countries of the region. In the course of the study, the following general scientific methods were used: using systematic analysis the trends and problems of tourism development in the countries of the Middle East were considered; using the comparative-historical method the influence of political events on the tourism development of the region was investigated; using statistical analysis for the study of tourist flows in the countries of the region. The following results were received: the acts of terrorism, the war and radicalism of some religious communities, led to the outflow of tourists, damage to world-famous historical monuments and the death of tourists, which eventually led to the loss of the region of its former potential. Conclusions: At present, the main problem hampering the development of tourism in the Middle East is the political situation in the region, which affects not only the countries in which the war, but also the neighboring country.