As soon as the international economy started to recover from the global financial crisis, another crisis appeared in the form of “swine flu”, affecting international tourism. The World Tourism Organization recently (WTO) revealed its estimates of the declining tourism rates, which ranged from 0 percent to 2-3 percent lower, while the number of tourists during the last two months has declined by 7.7 percent compared to the same period in 2008, a value higher than the 2 percent decline predicted by the WTO for 2009. But there is a ray of hope for Arab countries, as statistics show that Arab countries are better prepared to overcome the tourism crisis than any other area in the world. The Middle East has had the highest tourism growth rate in the world (an increase of 11 percent in 2008 compared to 2 percent in the rest of the world), and the WTO expects tourism in Arab countries to increase by 2-6 percent this year. The global crisis has also played a part in establishing the basic fundamentals for Arabic tourism, which has clearly suffered over the past few years, with only 42 percent of Arab tourists visiting the Arab World, while 58 percent headed outside of the region. Preventive measures will mean reduced expenditures for the Arab family due to the global financial crisis, and the limited spread of swine flu in Arab countries will encourage the Arab tourist to look closer to home. For instance, experts do not expect the number of tourists visiting Jordan to decline, especially since over 50 percent of 4.8 million Arab tourists are planning to spend their holidays in Jordan this year, while in Lebanon, an estimated 2 million tourists, mostly Arabs, are expected to visit the country in 2009. In addition, statistics issued by the Syrian Ministry of Tourism clearly show that the growth in Arab tourism was due to the increase in the number of tourists from GCC countries, which amounted to 116,109 tourists in Q1 2009, compared to 94,158 tourists in the same period in 2008, a growth rate of 23 percent. Saeed Ahmed Mohammed bin Butti, chairman of Al Dhiafa Holding and Jinan Hotels and Resorts, believed there is a need to enhance tourism in Arab countries, and to enhance tourism services, as tourism is one of the important industries contributing to the Arab world's gross domestic product (GDP). “The tourism industry heavily relies on attracting tourists. This concept, in turn, depends on diversifying tourism services, which are no longer exclusive to visiting museums and historical places, but also include religious tourism, medical tourism, tourism for relaxation purposes, sports tourism, education and art tourism, and touring for festivals and conferences,” he explains. “Therefore, the need to promote Arab tourism also arises, especially when we look at the difference between the percentage of international tourists and Arab tourists (2.5 percent overall), which is a really small figure if we take into consideration the region's outstanding tourism features, such as superb location; historical, educational and urban heritage; state-of-the-art infrastructure; and basic services that are on par with the highest international standards”. Bin Butti, whose company, Jinan, is the first company in the Middle East to specialize in running environmentally-friendly hotels, added, “Arab tourism is the main source of tourism income, as the Arab tourist spends more and stays longer, and that's why occasional tourism should be developed and supported by providing a perfect setting for investments, facilitating the movement of Arab assets, facilitating travel between Arab countries, and facilitating the issue of visas. Occasional tourism also plays an important part in providing jobs for thousands of workers, as the increase in hotel and tourism facilities will require an even larger number of employees. The International Travel and Tourism Council expects the tourism sector to provide 10.5 million job opportunities (10.1 percent of total workforce) in MENA countries in 2009. Statistics related to the expenditure of Gulf countries on annual vacations, which have become a cultural tradition among families in the Gulf region, are, perhaps, what pushes countries to focus on occasional Arab tourism. According to general tourism statistics, GCC countries are estimated to spend $20 million on annual vacations, with Saudi tourists spending the most ($8.5 billion), followed by Kuwaiti and Emirati tourists ($5 billion each), Qatari tourists ($600 million), Omani tourists ($400 million), and Bahraini tourists ($300 million). __
