<Student’s name>
<Supervisor´s name>
Tourism has become an increasingly important element of the global economy. Cross-national movement of travelers around the globe reached the volume that was unthinkable even 20 years ago. The world is opening up, and nowadays there is nothing strange in a desire to spend a vacation or celebrate birthday on another continent thousands of miles from home. The range of tourist activities has also widened considerably – ethnical, religious, eco-tourism being only few of them. It is undoubtedly true that such development of events brings a lot of perks of the local economies of the tourist destinations, but bay bring certain hazards as well.
In this regard it would be reasonable to define a successful tourist location and sort out the primary factors of such success. One of the most important factors, in my opinion, is climate. Extreme weather conditions, be it excessive cold or heat, aridity or humidity may discourage prospective travelers from visiting the location, even if it may be very attractive from other points of view. Besides that, it is very important that the tourists could feel safe and free from the threat of political unrest or natural calamities. The geographic position and accessibility also contribute to the nature and size of tourist flow. The degree of infrastructural development and maintenance of tourist attractions allow visitors to enjoy the trip and spend their money in the most efficient and mutually pleasing manner. Although it would be tempting to include cultural compatibility in this list of factors as well, it is often exotics that make certain destinations attractive to particular groups of travelers, so I would redefine this point as friendliness of the local population and authorities, as well as tolerance to multiculturalism to a reasonable extent.
In order to evaluate the attractiveness of the United Arab Emirates, let’s now consider all these factors in order. The climate of the country is a controversial issue. On the one hand, proximity to the Persian Gulf on the east and the desert on the west create a unique ecosystem which is extremely beneficial for active and recreational tourism. Hot cloudless weather throughout the most part of the year, moderate humidity attract those who are interested in swimming, surfing, exploring the arid areas of the country. On the other hand, high yearly temperatures preclude certain categories of weather-sensitive tourists from going to the UAE. This controversy is being currently solved by almost universal implementation of cooling and air conditioning systems, planting of trees and other labor- and resource- consuming techniques.
The political system of the United Arab Emirates is extremely stable. Not being a strong regional and global player (unlike the neighboring Saudi Arabia, for instance) contributes to the absence of geopolitical rivals and provides the required degree of safety. Although there are certain minor differences within the political systems of various Emirates, the general system of governance is stable and well-balanced. The vast majority of the local residents are strictly law abiding citizens, so the level of tensions is negligible and does not impact tourists whatsoever. The major environmental risks such as famine and desert storms do not cause much trouble to the travelers, either.
The geographical position of the country is close to perfect. Being located on the eastern part of the Arabic peninsula, the UAE are the largest transportation hub in the region and a crossroad for those who travel from and to Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia. The infrastructure of the country is probably the best and most convenient in the area.
Speaking of tourist attraction, it should be kept in mind that those are extremely diverse and address various forms of tourism. Although historical sites are also present, the great majority of tourist destinations have been developed quite recently and are innovative for this region by nature. This sector of economy is currently on the rise, and there is a high degree of certainty that it will be this way for decades to come.
So, as we can see from the information above, the United Arab Emirates have what it takes to be and remain a successful tourist destination. Now let’s answer the question: What impact does tourism have on countries, in general, and on the UAE, in particular?
In order to answer that, it is reasonable to assess the general categories of such impact. It is obvious that tourism at a considerable scale is capable of influencing political, economic, social, cultural, environmental and confessional areas of the governmental and public activities.
The environmental impact of tourism is also controversial. On the one hand, it allows to preserve the natural resources (e.g. wildlife sanctuaries) which attract visitors and therefore generate profits. On the other hand, it can also destroy certain environmental features if the tourist infrastructure requires further expansion (Hall et al., p.184).
Now let’s analyse the impact of tourism on the United Arab Emirates keeping in mind these factors and their respective roles.
The influx of tourists contributes considerably to the openness of the UAE political system, yet it does not eliminate the traditional elements of it. It may be said that a proper balance has been found in this regard, as the nature and ways of functioning of respective institutions do not jeopardize tourism, and the latter at the same time does not put their existence in peril.
The economic impact of tourism on the UAE is significant, although, as I mentioned before, is not dominating compared to trade and finance. Directly the growth of the local tourism market contributes to the national wealth and creates plenty of jobs for the local population, including females (Picton, p.68), which is not so common in the Arab world. Indirectly the influx of visitors leads to continuous improvement of the infrastructure, creation of numerous entertainment-related and other facilities, which drives investors and business people to the area, therefore creating a positively correlated cycle. There is another issue in this regard, though. Due to enormous volumes of construction the country is currently flooded with guest workers from not so developed countries, including India and Pakistan. Apart from the obvious issue of potential and actual casual violations of immigration legislation, such low-skilled labor contributes to the increase of crime rate. It is not uncommon that even after the end of the contract such workers may stay in the UAE causing troubles both to the local population and tourists.
The impact of tourism on the existing system of social, cultural and confessional relations is not strongly negative. It is obvious that certain values, such as large-scale consumption, are being implemented in the country, yet it does not jeopardize the paradigm in general. As it was mentioned above, the very historical path of the country made it more open and tolerant in comparison to neighbors.
It may be said that the impact of tourism on the United Arab Emirates is generally positive. The country is a popular tourist destination and has a lot to offer for various categories of visitors. Although the sector has certain drawbacks, it surely has a potential of further growth, and there is a good chance that we will be witnessing it in the foreseeable future.
References:
1. Hall, Colin Michael, and Alan A. Lew.Understanding and managing tourism impacts: an integrated approach. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2009. Print.
2. Picton, Oliver James. "Usage Of The Concept Of Culture And Heritage In The United Arab Emirates - An Analysis Of Sharjah Heritage Area." Journal of Heritage Tourism 5.1 (2010): 69-84. Print.
