Geotourism in the Middle East (eBook)

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.

Mamoon Allan is Professor of Tourism Marketing at the Tourism Department, Faculty of Archaeology and Tourism, the University of Jordan. Professor Allan was working in tourism and hospitality fields in three countries-Australia, Jordan and Libya. He completed his Ph.D. in Tourism Marketing at Edith Cowan University in Perth, Western Australia. Professor Allan conducts international research in the fields of Geotourism, Geotourists, Ecotourism, Volcano Tourism, Adventure Tourism, Accessible Tourism and other topics. He published a book about geotourism in Jordan in Arabic in 2014. He participated in several UNESCO workshops to enhance the geoheritage and geoparks in the Arabic countries. His doctoral thesis (2012) on geotourism was one of the first in the world on this topic.

Ross Dowling AM is Emeritus Professor of Tourism at the School of Business & Law, Edith Cowan University, Western Australia. He has a B.Sc. (Geology), M.Sc. [Hons] (Geography) and Ph.D. (Environmental Science). Professor Dowling conducts international research in the fields of geotourism, ecotourism and cruise ship tourism and has over 200 publications in these fields including sixteen books. He has a deep interest in the development of Geotourism and Geoparks, and he is Passionate Advocate for the establishment of UNESCO's Global Geoparks in Australia and around the world. He is Foundation Chair of the Australian Geoparks Network. He fosters regional development through Geotourism globally, and he convened the world's first three conferences on Geotourism in Australia (2008), Malaysia (2010) and the Sultanate of Oman (2011). For his contributions to tourism education & development, conservation and higher education, he has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (2011) as well as being made Member of the Order of Australia (2019).