Journal of Tourism & Hospitality
Open Access

Abstract

Tourism in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries as a Priority for Economic Prospects and Diversification

Nazar Hilal

This paper presents an examination of the emergence of the tourism industry in some of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries (limited to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman) as a potentially viable and profitable economic diversification alternative. Indeed, the tourism industry is a growing economic sector in some of the GCC countries, with different trends, specializations, comparative advantages, and comparative competitions. However, the industry has encountered various challenges in the context of the GCC region because of the distinctiveness of the political and socioeconomic structures of the GCC countries in terms of the rentierism system. How are most of these GCC countries succeeding in making tourism a viable and prioritized economic policy? Why are some of these GCC countries attracted to the tourism industry? How have some of them made tourism an economic diversification priority? To what extent are current tourism projects considered sustainable? What are the challenges facing the tourism industry in some of these countries? Providing answers to these research questions requires a thorough examination of the socioeconomic context shaping and influencing the emergence of tourism as a beneficial industry in the context of some of the GCC countries.

Published Date: 2020-11-18; Received Date: 2020-08-24