Tourism in the Muslim World

This book addresses an important and contemporary topic of significance. It provides a synthesis of thought on an important current issue for tourism and indeed for our times, a point of focus for tourism researchers, managers, and developers in countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt, Maldives, and Turkey, as well as the Western world, eager to increase their share in this 1.6 billion strong tourist market. Its chapters raise conceptual and practical issues for the wider tourism community as it deals with the growth of new markets and destinations in a globalized economy. An International collection of chapters features both Muslim and non-Muslim (country) insights. It draws on contributions from disciplinary perspectives such as law, theology, business, tourism development, sociology, anthropology, and more, and as such is broad in scope and centered on the topic rather than a particular academic view.

Muslims make up around 25% of the world's population with significant numbers in practically all countries of the world, ranging from Indonesia (202 million people or 88% of the population), to Iran (74 million or 99%), to the United States (2 million or 0.8%), to China (22 million or 1.6%). Islam is the world's fastest growing religion and is the national religion of countries in the Middle East, North Africa, and elsewhere.

From a tourism perspective, there are many significant reasons to study tourism and the Muslim world. The annual religious pilgrimage, the Hajj, performed in Saudi Arabia, is obligatory at some point in the life of every Muslim of sufficient means. In many nations, Islam is the foundation of society and order of law and its principles underpin considerations of tourism. This Industry has increasingly been embraced by developing countries as a means of economic diversification and Islamic countries seek the same end. This leads to the interaction of religious beliefs and choices about the types of tourism that may be desirable, resulting in its development potentially becoming a political issue. Many countries, including Muslim ones, use tourism to become a more visible member of the global village. Moreover, the economic development of Muslim countries has created a new market for outbound tourism. Here professionals and researchers worldwide are engaging with Muslim visitors whose religion proscribes activities that may be actively sought by other tourists. Ensuring both groups experience satisfactory levels of hospitality is an important concern for those engaged in tourism. Further flows of Muslim visitors are affected by global issues such as the New York September 11 event and consequent changes to travel security arrangements.