Tourism Geography of the MENA Region: Potential, Challenges and Risks

Abstract

Abstract The countries of the MENA region cover an area with a diverse geography and a diverse tourist capital. The natural and cultural assets of the region appeal to different target groups, but have not yet been fully exploited, are not usable or have been irrevocably destroyed by unrest, uprisings, and wars. In many countries in the region, structural problems in tourism policy and the economy aggravate the situation. As a result, international tourist arrivals and income from tourist expenditures have developed differently in the various countries of the region. Using selected examples, this special issue provides a deeper but necessarily selective insight into the many facets of tourism in the countries of the MENA region and highlights at least some of the broad spectrum of phenomena associated with tourism geography. This editorial provides a framework to position the selected case studies within broader aspects of tourism development in the MENA region. It assesses the spatial differentiation of tourism supply and demand and looks at the political situation, especially since the so-called ‘Arab Spring’ and the related challenges for the tourism industry. The current effects of the so-called coronavirus crisis are not considered, as the special issue was conceived before the crisis began.