NEW LUXURY TOURISM POSSIBILITIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST: ANALYZING THE ISRAELI PROSPECT VISITORS’ EXPECTATIONS ON TOURISM IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES IN THE LIGHT OF THE RECENT PEACE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES

Camelia-Monica Gheorghe () and Elena Muzzo
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Camelia-Monica Gheorghe: Romanian American-University, Bucharest

Romanian Economic Business Review, 2021, vol. 16, issue 2, 116-123

Abstract: Among the immense critical situation that tourism faced during 2020, we can still find rather important accomplishments that can make us hope positively for the future recovery of the industry. One of the most recent positive news in that sense consists in the geopolitical reshaping of the Middle East region as we have known it for the past 70 years. In fact, following the new peace agreement between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain new tourism possibilities in the area await both the citizens of these countries and the rest of the world. Direct flights connecting for the first time these destinations and tour packages involving both the UAE and Israel have already been designed and are out on the market as of this month.1 But what do the citizens of these countries actually think about the possibility of visiting each other after several decades of cool relations? This paper has the objective of analyzing the expectations and intentions of prospect Israeli visitors concerning their newly acquired possibility of travelling to the UAE and experience luxury tourism at this close by destination. The survey used to gather data on these aspects permitted me to build a positive picture of the situation, demonstrating that although doubts may still exist concerning some aspects, there is hope that in the case of modern societies, such as Israel and the UAE, relations on a people-to-people’s level can be rebuilt at a fast-pace thanks to future tourism exchanges and desire to experience the other’s culture.

Keywords: Tourism and peace; post-conflict tourism; Luxury tourism; Middle East; destination image; Tourists’ perception (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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