Transcript tourism.g14- Travel Geo

Middle East and North
Africa
Middle East and North Africa
• Tourism increased slowly in the last
decade
• 1990s, this region represented only about
5.7% of total global international arrivals
• North Africa constituted for nearly 35%
• Specific destinations e.g. Iraq, Iran,
Lebanon have been affected by the
political turmoil
Middle East and North Africa
• Region dominated by Islamic religion
• Muslims enjoy visiting the cities of their
region and the world for both pilgrimages
and business purposes
• Businesses capitals of the Islamic world
such as Damascus, Syria; Beirut,
Lebanon, and Cairo, Egypt are the centers
of trade and commerce carried out under
Islamic law
Geographic characteristics
• Middle East evokes images of oil-rich
sheiks, conflicts between Arab and Arab
and Israeli terrorist groups, and
• Most of the area is dry, with precipitation
totals under twenty inches per year
• Population is concentrated in riverine or
oasis locations, and the vast majority of
the people have little to do with camels, or
the Sahara Desert
Landform Characteristics
• Landforms of the Middle East and North
Africa, influence the local climatic
conditions and affect the availability of the
lifeblood of the region - water
Landform Characteristics
3 landform regions :1) Generally level terrain associated with
deserts in North Africa and the plateaus
of Arabia, Iran and Turkey
2) Mountain ranges in northwest Africa
3) Riverine basins of the Nile, Euphrates,
Tigris and smaller streams
Landform Characteristics
• Mountains of North Africa and the Middle
East are the primary geographical factor
affecting the distribution of water and
consequently the population
• The Nile, one of the most important rivers
in the world starts south of the North
African region in mountains that provide it
with water
Landform Characteristics
• Provides water for irrigation, for drinking,
for transportation (including for tourism),
for the fishing industry, and for the
hydroelectricity upon which industry is
based
Climate characteristics
• Region does have a dry climate
• Predominant climatic type is desert or
steppe with precipitation totals of ten
inches or less per year
• Important areas of Morocco, Algeria,
Tunisia, Turkey, Syria, Israel and Jordan
have Mediterranean climates
Organisation of life
• 3 distinctive lifestyles :- city, village and
nomadic
• For tourists and residents, the cityscape is
dominated by narrow streets, the mosque
and the bazaar
• Mosque is the focal point of the city and its
neighborhoods, for Muhammad revealed
that the faithful Muslim must bow in prayer
five times daily which facing Mecca
Organisation of life
• Streets remained narrow because the
Koran (the words of Allah to the prophet
Muhammad) did not provide for public
space greater than that needed for a laden
camel to pass
• Second lifestyle (which tourists generally
only glimpse) is found in the villages.
Organisation of life
• Focus on agriculture – wheat, barely, and
other small grains and vegetables for local
and national consumption
Organisation of life
• 3rd major lifestyle is found among the
nomads
• Nomads account for only 5% to 10% of the
population of the region, and national
boundaries and politics are pressuring to
become sedentary
Tourism in the middle East
• World attention is focused upon this region
of the world both because of the political
situation and its potential
• Continuing stress in Iraq, Afghanistan, the
Israeli-Arab dispute, the rise of Islamic
fundamentalism, and difficulties between
the moderate and radical Arab states
combined to inhibit tourism in many areas
of the region
Tourism in the middle East
• Egypt, Israel, and Turkey, Syria’s tourism
dipped significantly in the early 1990s,
then recovered
• Major tourist countries of the Middle East
today are Egypt, Israel and Turkey
• Syria’s tourism dipped significantly in the
early 1990s.
Tourism in the middle East
• Affected by a) conflict erupted in the
region in 2000 b) Politically unstable due
to the movement of Israeli troops into the
West bank and a number of suicide
bombings by the Palestinians
Egypt
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Capital :
Cairo
Government :
Republic
Size
:
386,650 miles
Language :
Arabic, English, French
Tourist Season
:
Year-round
Currency
:
Egyptian pound
Population :
69.8 million
Physical Characteristics
• Desert country bisected by the Nile Valley
and its delta
• Hot and dry in the summers and winters
are moderate
Tourism Characteristics
• In the 1990s, serious economic problems,
decline in tourism caused by a fear of
terrorism and political conditions resulting
from the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in
the Middle East
• Constrained because of the high cost of
travel from the main tourist-generating
countries of the US and Western Europe
Tourism Characteristics
• Egypt’s treaty with Israel in 1978 and
increased ease of travel between Egypt,
Jordan, and Israel caused rapid growth in
tourism from 1975 to 1985.
• Visit to the pyramids and either a cruise up
the Nile River or quick trip to Luxor or the
Aswan Dam can be easily completed in a
week or less
Tourist Destinations and
Attractions
• Nile cruises between Luxor and the Aswan
Dam, or Cairo to Luxor and then on the
Aswan reservoir are the most popular,
especially for North American and West
European visitors
Tourist Destinations and
Attractions
• Important regions e.g. Cairo and the
surrounding area, Luxor and Aswan
• Cairo, Egypt’s capital is the political and
cultural center of much of the Arab world,
although it has lost some political leverage
because of its treaty with Israel
Tourist Destinations and
Attractions
• In Cairo, the two major attractions are the
Egyptian Museum (one of the world’s
great museums, featuring a collection of
ancient artifacts) and the Khan Khalili
Bazaar (variety of gold and silver works,
embroidered clothing leather and other
handicrafts)
Tourist Destinations and
Attractions
• Developing holiday villages along the
Mediterranean and Red Sea
• Combination of dramatic mountain
scenery and the clear blue waters of the
Red Sea combine to provide a rich
resource for tourism development in this
area
Algeria
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Capital
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Algiers
Government :
Republic
Size
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918,497 square miles
Language : Arabic
Ethnic Division : Arabs
Religion : 99% Sunni Muslim
Tourist Season : Year-round
Physical Characteristics
• Mediterranean coast is a narrow plain
• Behind the coastal plain is a mountainous
and high plain region
• Southern portion is desert
• Climate is hot and dry with some rain
along the coastal areas
Tourism Characteristics
• Differs from Morocco and Tunisia in that its
tourist sector is entirely state controlled
• Host of rich natural attractions for tourism
– expansive beaches on the
Mediterranean
Tourist Destinations and
Attractions
• Offers the tourist a variety of scenery
• Broad beaches, rocky coves, scenic
mountains, cascading waters, and desert
sand dunes
• Picturesque fortified villages, such as
Constantine (which sits on a precipitous
rock overlooking a deep canyon)
Tourist Destinations and
Attractions
• Capital full of narrow winding lanes full of
craftspeople and shops