Geotourism in the Middle East

Book excerpt: The geotourism industry has grown rapidly in recent years. This book introduces the geotourism industry, its attractions, activities and developments, in selected countries of the Middle East. A number of publications and studies have investigated the nature and scope of the phenomenon of geotourism (tourism which starts from geology) and geotourists worldwide. However, despite the breadth of these studies, few publications have investigated the phenomena in the Middle Eastern countries. Consequently, this book seeks to shed light on the different aspects of geotourism and geo-diversity in the Middle East and provides a number of case studies from this region. It assists in bridging the lacuna in the tourism and geology literature and helps planners, marketers, managers, scholars and researchers to enhance their knowledge about such issues. It outlines opportunities for, as well as barriers to, geotourism development in the Middle East as well as providing recommendations for the advancement of geotourism in the region.