The Outcomes of Turning Kuwait into a Tourism Country - Research Paper Example

TDK and Section # of Tourism has d back to before man knew how to record travel tales and now taken up to the level of space travel. This change in the industry has come over the period of time for many countries. Kuwait; however has just entered in the game of tourism to enhance this side of economic revenue and production alone with its oil product revenue. The report defines the advantages and disadvantages of the development of the tourism in the state of Kuwait. It also highlights the importance of tourism as a whole and the benefits that come along the boom of the industry in Kuwait. In short the, impact of developing Kuwait’s tourism industry has been explained in detail in this report. Tourism Development in Kuwait- the impact Kuwait is sovereign state place in the middle of the Arabian Peninsula, constituting in western Asia. The country is bordered by Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Iraq. The name “Kuwait” means the fortress built near water. It comprises of total of 6889 sq miles and houses a population of about 3.5 million people (PACA). Like all developed countries of the world Kuwait also tries to enhance its image to the outside world to enhance an image of the place to be visited as a recreation, not only business. As it an established fact that the prime source of income for the Kuwaiti government is the oil sector, there are various other sectors the governments is looking into with n angle of revenue generation. Tourism is one such department in which the Kuwaiti government has taken interest lately. The report discusses the prime targets that are set for the tourism industry, its benefits and downsides that come along with any sort of urban or cultural development. This report in detail also discusses the area which will enhance tourism, including places already present and those which can be developed along with proper marketing to induce the world travelers to home in their travel destinations in this part of the world. Tourism The Tourism is simply explained as the traveling which is done for pleasure or fun. Many people all around the world travel to different destinations across the world to see places and monuments of their choice and personal liking. Personal likes may include structures of sculptural beauty, attractive spots of nature and so on. Hence we can find a number of tourists at all time in all countries of the world, even space is being converted into a tourist destination which is not even in this world, for those who can afford it. The travels of the foreign tourist bring a lot of money to the countries where they travel. Hence, tourism has become a source of income for the countries to which the tourists come. Hence, tourism is now developing as a great industry. History of Tourism Tourism can be traced back in history to as far as the 13th century and this is the travel tales who have been documented, God knows since when mankind developed liking for travel. The narratives of Marco Polo about the “grand tour of the British Empire is a classic example of early age tourism. Europe was a hub of tourism before 1950 but with very little international exposure but post WWII period, when military research had made long cruises and air travel possible, the tourism industry all over the world experienced a large increase in the “want to travel” so to speak. Not only the mode of travel was one reason for this boom but other factors like employment, disposable incomes, excess leisure time and social attribute shifts. Also the fact that since it produced revenue, a while industry was formed, ensuring people were employed to provide such services. As the number of consumers grew, so did the international tourism industry. Advantages of Tourism There are a several advantages of tourism for both the traveler and the place that he is traveling to, which includes the agency that governs the place. On the bigger picture, it also helps many other industries to revolve around the tourism industry and stand on its own feet, generating revenue, which on the whole is the purpose of any industry. A great help is done to the national as well as the private revenue funds. The tourism industry comprises of many different sections, therefore it creates a lot of employment opportunities. Also it brings about a wave of motels, hotels, restaurants, rent-a-car firms, tour guide services and much more. All these in turn provide crucial revenue along with different levels of job opportunities. The community as a whole prospers as a net effect to this. In addition to this the culture exchange that happens also raises the intellect level of a society and the traveler himself, both at the same time. The revenue that is generated can easily be invested on other sectors of the country like education and defence, making the country prosper as a whole. Kuwait- The Dream Destination Before going into the impact of the tourism industry, it is worth mentioning the places that are or can be tourist attraction. According to a report Kuwait has the lowest amount of tourists flowing in when compared with other Middle Eastern countries. Therefore for attracting tourist the right amount of international publicity is very important. The first and foremost advantage is the less strict visa policy than other tourist destinations. The first destination which is a special attraction to the European and American businessmen are the stunning 18 holes golf course cum resort known as the Sahara Kuwait Resort. Kuwait not only holds oil rigs as the general conception goes, but also houses the famous three Kuwait towers, the tallest one housing a restaurant with a stunning view with a 30 minute rotation giving the bird’s eye view to the whole city. Another high is the old Souq in Kuwait city National Museum and the liberation tower which is the symbol of the freedom of Kuwait from the Iraqi forces. The site survived the war between the Saddam regime and the coalition forces in the 90s, comes down as a sentimental monument for the visitors. Water sports are yet another high mark of the country which has beautiful clean beaches and shallow waters to go along with it. A large diving community thrives in the country and an industry which will grow more and more with the growth in tourism. All these places along with the ones planned for the future make Kuwait not only an oil generating state but also one to be travelled and savored. Advantages of Tourism to Kuwait Many sections of the government working departments have constantly questioned the need to generate revenue from this industry whereas the oil industry makes up for maximum monetary needs of the country. The advantaged explained are those which will help the country’s economy along the oil industry as well as provide a stronger safety net for the future. It’s better to weave a safety net when the resources are available rather than when it’s too late to do so. There are a several advantages of developing a tourism industry in an oil rich country like Kuwait. The first and foremost as mentioned time and again is the monetary benefit that this industry brings. The tourist spending cash directly on their vacations is a direct source of foreign currency stabilizing any sort of inflation that can exist in a country, even an oil rich one like Kuwait. Inter-culture harmony As it is a well established fact, that Kuwait is a Muslim country with strict practice rules adhering to the local majority religion i.e. Islam. Therefore it is very important for foreigner to come and see the actual spirit of the religion in the region as the media usually portrays a negative image of Muslim countries in the world. Similarly the Muslim media back lashes the western community for many hidden regions. With an exchange of culture, the locals will also get a feel of the real western culture and not the one that is being portrayed in the news or west afflicted moves which over exaggerate by the dozen. Festivity Not only does tourism bring money but also a certain form of festivity in the air in the season which is marked as the tourists season. Positive hustling and bustling goes around the major cities making the locals enjoy the atmosphere as well. This kind of festivity also releases external pressures that any person acquires in their general day to day life. The image of any city raises its level and the amount of local tourism which is an essential part of any country’s mindset also increase, making the overall picture better and brighter. Struggling airlines The latest problem faced but the Kuwaiti government is the downfall of the national flag carrier. Kuwait Airways is getting itself privatize to sustain the losses that it has been incurring lately. Another private airline ceased its operations due to hefty competition with huge airlines like Emirates and Qatar airways. This problem will easily be solved with the commencement of strong and government supported tourism industry, which in turn will want more people to travel inboard as well as tourist from outside Kuwait. Just like this many other industries like the hotels and lodging industry will receive a large boom in its present existence, creating a lot of opportunities and more tourist influx as a return (Euromonitor, 2011). Internal revenue The locals of Kuwait are very rich and travel the world in their free vocational time. They shop in Dubai and sky dive in Florida. If all these facilities are developed inland, they will not go abroad and spend the money in the country making Kuwait a very cash rich country, more than it is at the moment. Many other sub-problems like the failing hotel and aviation industry will also get a kick start with this reform. Negative Impact of Tourism to Kuwait Monetary benefits at time are the only bottom line the government sees before introducing any kind of reform or industrial shift. Although in the case of the tourism industry, money may be a compelling factor but Islamic culture in the country is something that has been preserved over the centuries. This is one such negative effect that will be an outcome of a booming tourism industry. Many attractive places in the country do not allow single men inside, for attracting large amount of tourists these rules have to be tweaked, causing a massive cultural shift in the country which may lower the morality standards of the citizens in Kuwait. Another negative impact, which is similar to the first one mentioned is the timings of all the market places and shopping districts. As the weather in day time is extremely hot, the tourists will want to shop and go-out at night time causing a stir in almost non-existent night life of Kuwait, causing more cultural drift from the religious teachings of the citizens. These issues may not seem hefty, in comparison to the economic benefits but on the long run will cause the society to degrade and immoral act ratio to increase like in the case of many countries of the world which kept economics over traditions. Conclusion The impact of developing Kuwait as a tourism hub has been quite adequately described in the report. This report can be concluded by the head on collision between promoting festivity culture over the Islamic one. If someone can chalk out a plan by which the local methods of living which have been practiced over the years do not change, there will be nothing better than a developing tourism industry. As explained explicitly that making a strong tourism industry will not only generate heavy economic returns but will also put many de-tracked industries on the right track. This will ensure less dependence upon the oil industry which can be venerable to the fact that natural oil reserves may run out in the future causing major havoc to the work force in the country. This report can be concluded by the statement that the right balance between culture and external impacts of tourism, if balanced, will fulfill more dreams in the future than the oil industry alone. References Euromonitor.com. (2011, May). Travel and Tourism in Kuwait. Retrieved September 01, 2012, from http://www.euromonitor.com/travel-and-tourism-in-kuwait/report The Public Authority for Civil Information Read More