Is this part of "Post modernism" Is it a sort of giving up on the old questions and the usual answers? I am not quite sure. Sometime it looks this way to me and I keep telling myself that the fall of the old ideologies and the attempts to stop alternatives not welcomed by the West could be a reason behind the new trend towards tourism. However, the increasing power of consumerism in the countries of the north and the rapid depletion of economic resources in the south could provide a more realistic answer. Whatever the case, the trend towards travel and tourism is a very powerful and beneficial one which the Islamic World should be ready to take advantage of and use to foster economic growth. The challenge facing the countries of the Islamic World is whether they are ready to face the global expansion in travel and tourism, the creation of new destinations and catering to new specialized types of tourism. The present issue shows the contrast between well known destinations, such as Dubai and Qatar, and the less recognised destinations due to internal insecurities, wars and the collapse of the economy, as can be seen in Afghanistan and Iraq. The contrast shows the amount of essential work and investment required if these countries, and many like them, are to have a share of the new economy. We also bring to the attention of our readers new destinations, such as Kazakhstan and one that they may not have paid the attention it deserves: St. Lucia. We also highlight destinations in countries we have featured before and report on several exhibitions. We will do our best through the magazine and the website (www.islamictourism.com) to help the Islamic World gain a strong foothold in the global tourism industry and to reap the inevitable rewards.

Finally we are pleased to announce the publication, simultaneously, of the French edition of the present issue of our magazine and we hope to publish it in more languages in the near future.