While Turkey’s tourism industry is sure to face setbacks as a result of last week’s decision by the Turkish government to stop issuing visas to U.S. travelers, the rest of the Middle East and North Africa is in the midst of a boomlet that operators in the region expect will continue into 2018.
“Americans are shifting the conversation from apprehension to understanding and are openly exploring destinations in the Middle East, where tourism is booming,” stated Jamee Lubkemann, vice president at American Express Travel, which last month released a fall trends report showing that bookings for are up 150% for Beirut and 148% for Tel Aviv.
Even though destinations throughout the Middle East and North Africa have been challenged by security threats and unrest over the past several years, destinations such as Egypt, Israel, Jordan and even the Palestinian territories and Iran are starting to attract greater interest from travelers.
According to the UNWTO, for the first half of the year, Palestine was the world’s fastest-growing destination, having experienced a 57% jump in visitors between January and June.
Thus, association members that are inbound operators are developing new experiences, such as incorporating more hiking and outdoor activities into their itineraries.