Geography and Tourism

Running Head: TOURISM IN MECCA Tourism in Mecca [Name of Student] [Name of Institution] [Date] Introduction The tourism industry is one of the fastest growing industries of the world and is a great way for countries to promote culture and boost economy at the same time. Many countries are developing tourist attractions to grow their local tourism. Mecca is one of the largest tourist attractions in the world for Muslims as more than 2.5 million visit the city to perform religious rituals each year in the Hajj season. The aim of this essay is to examine the tourism industry of Saudi Arabia and Mecca in particular. Tourism The tourism industry has seen a rapid growth in past couple of decades is considered to be the worlds most diversified and fastest growing economic sectors. Development has been closely linked with tourism as countries strive to increase the number of tourist destinations in their region to attract more tourist each year (World Tourism Organization, 2013). For this very reason, tourism is considered to be an important factor in the socio-economic progress. The business of tourism has surpassed the oil, food, and automobile industries and is now one of the big players in the international business arena. For many developing countries, it remains the main source of income and the industry is also responsible for providing employment and improving the economy. The tourism industry of a country also has an indirect effect on other industries like telecommunication, construction, etc. as their demand increases with a flourishing tourism industry (World Tourism Organization, 2013). Aside from development, tourism is also closely linked with culture as it helps in building an intercultural relationship among people. Tourism gives the host country a chance to promote their culture and use their heritage and traditions to attract tourism to their country. Tourists visiting other countries look for a different and rich cultural experience resulting in preservation of local culture and tradition. Mecca Mecca, the holiest city of the religion of Islam, is situated in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is considered to be the most important place by the Muslims. Not only is it the birthplace of Prophet Muhammad but Muslims all around the world face toward Mecca during their prayers. Pilgrimage to the city of Mecca in the month of Dhul Hijjah (the last month in the Islamic calendar) at least once in a lifetime is one of the five pillars of Islam (Timothy and Olsen, 2006). Around two million Muslims from all over the world arrive at Mecca during the last month of the holy calendar each year for pilgrimage. Only Muslims are allowed to travel to Mecca as the city is off-limits to non-Muslims while the rest of Saudi Arabia is shut for tourism all together. The large amount of people visiting Mecca each year requires a lot of planning and arrangement by the government of Saudi A...