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The Tourism Industry as an Alternative for the GCC Oil-Based Rentier Economies

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  • Yoel Mansfeld

    (Department of Geography & Environmental Studies and Center for Tourism, Pilgrimage and Recreation Research, University of Haifa, Haifa 31905, Israel)

  • Onn Winckler

    (Department of Middle Eastern History, University of Haifa, Israel)

Abstract

During the past four decades, the tourism industry has emerged as one of the leading industries worldwide. This article examines its development in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The article looks at, first, the main factors that led the GCC rulers to select tourism as a major catalyst for enhancing economic development and diversification. Further, it examines the GCC comparative advantages in the global tourism arena and then analyses Dubai's tourism development as an example of both the potential as well as the costs of having a well-established tourism industry in the Arabian Gulf region. Finally, it considers the major barriers to further GCC tourism development. The main conclusion of the article is that, although tourism development may provide a viable economic solution to some of the major socio-economic problems currently facing the GCC oil rental countries, one should not disregard the fundamental barriers and risks to further GCC tourism development, first and foremost in the area of increasing dependence on foreign labour.

Suggested Citation

  • Yoel Mansfeld & Onn Winckler, 2007. "The Tourism Industry as an Alternative for the GCC Oil-Based Rentier Economies," Tourism Economics, , vol. 13(3), pages 333-360, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:toueco:v:13:y:2007:i:3:p:333-360
    DOI: 10.5367/000000007781497728
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Benjamin Smith, 2004. "Oil Wealth and Regime Survival in the Developing World, 1960–1999," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 48(2), pages 232-246, April.
    2. International Monetary Fund, 2003. "United Arab Emirates: Selected Issues and Statistical Appendix," IMF Staff Country Reports 2003/067, International Monetary Fund.
    3. Yoel Mansfeld & Onn Winckler, 2004. "Options for Viable Economic Development through Tourism among the Non-Oil Arab Countries: The Egyptian Case," Tourism Economics, , vol. 10(4), pages 365-388, December.
    4. Alessandro Lanza & Anil Markandya & Francesco Pigliaru (ed.), 2005. "The Economics of Tourism and Sustainable Development," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 3876.
    5. Tarik M. Yousef, 2004. "Development, Growth and Policy Reform in the Middle East and North Africa since 1950," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 18(3), pages 91-115, Summer.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ramakrishnan Ramanathan & Geetha Subramanian & Dipak Chaudhuri, 2010. "Quantitative Assessment of Stakeholder Perceptions for Tourism Development," Tourism Economics, , vol. 16(1), pages 99-116, March.
    2. Omar Saif & Toufic Mezher & Hassan Arafat, 2014. "Water security in the GCC countries: challenges and opportunities," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 4(4), pages 329-346, December.

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