Islamic Tourism: Muslim countries introduced unique activities and attractions at the Adventure Travel & Sports Show held in London last week.
Turkey highlighted the solar eclipse. Egypt provided the Nile Cycle Challenge. Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan focused on trekking in spectacular mountains. Oman introduced specialist activities such as birdwatching. Adventures with Nature was the theme of Malaysia’s stand, which provided information about challenging jungle treks, cave exploring, white water rafting, scuba diving mountain climbing as well as explorative nature trails and bird watching. Ras Al Khaimah marketed its attractions as ‘pure Arabian culture’ and trips to Kurdistan were on offer for the first time.
One of the most popular destinations for tour operators was Central Asia where the Silk Road stole the show. Sundowners offered various combinations of the Silk Road and Mongolia which it described as ‘an adventure you will never forget rather than a holiday’. The 28 day Trans Mongolian Railway tour was popular with retired people who have the time to go on a month’s holiday. A 15-day Gobi & Nomads tour enables visitors to live with the locals and see life as it really is for the nomads of the Mongolian steppe. There is also a trip to the Naadam Festival with centuries old traditions of wrestling, archery and horseracing.
Dostuck Trekking, set up 14 years ago, specialises in customer tailored trips to Kyrgyzstan. “We get varied inquiries from people who want to go climbing and riding. One woman and her Russian friend saw the country 20 years ago and would like to go again. We also had an inquiry about Kyrgyz music”, John Ducker told Islamic Tourism. What Mr Ducker does not know about Kyrgyzstan is probably not worth knowing: “The most popular musical instrument is a three-string pizzicato komuz like a mandolin with three stringers made from animal tendon. Temir-ooz-komuz is the instrument made from iron plate”.
Perhaps the only serious competition to Kyrgyzstan’s magnificent mountains comes from north Pakistan, the meeting point of the five highest mountains in the world. A road to the remotest villages took twelve years to build. Karakorum Jeep Treks International organises a 21 day trip covering four thousand kms across the Karakourm, Himalaya and Hindu Kush of North Pakistan: the highest ranges on earth. The scenery at heights of over 15,000 feet is awesome and it is possible to extend the tour with an expedition to the base camp on K2.
Oman, a country of 500 forts and castles is promoting its wild life as well as its cultural heritage. Muscat, is the eagle capital of the world. At the junction of three bio geographical zones it is possible to see birds from Asia, Europe and Africa.
Rabia Charkaoui, the Sales & Marketing Manager of the Oman Tourist Office, UK & Ireland, proudly explains that Oman is the second largest country on the Arabian Peninsula with the second largest cave chambers in the world – a haven for adventure travel. During the khareef (monsoon season) the southern city of Salalah has is transformed by lush vegetation: the dull browns are replaced by rolling green hills, misty woods and sparkling mountain springs. The Khareef Festival in July & August is an added attraction.
“The hotels on Ras Al Khaimah have the highest number of return visitors in the UAE”, emphasised Elia Timani the Group Director of Sales & Marketing of Al Hamra Hotels. “The people come back because they feel they have seen something different”.
Timani describes Ras Al Khaimah as the best kept secret in the UAE. He feels it has learned from the mistakes of Dubai which set out to be “the biggest and the tallest”. But people are fed up with high cement towers at the expense of culture. They want something authentic.
Al Hamra Hotels have captured the rustic Arabian heritage and blended the best of modern luxury. The Khatt Springs Hotel and Spa is in the heart of date-culture country where all the rooms have natural hot spring water.
Timani and Jean-Marc Houot of Rak Events have formed a coalition of the enthusiastic. Houot’s company specialises in excursions to the mountains and desert in 4x4 wheels. “You have two options: you drive or you are driven”. Rak can also organise mountain bike rides in the UAE.
Malaysia, with the world’s oldest forest estimated to be 130 million years old, is an adventure and nature lovers’ paradise. Nature-based an eco-tourism activities range from rock-climbing and cross jungle trekking to wild rafting in frothing rivers or diving in calm seas. More than half of Malaysia’s 329,758 sq km surface is covered by tropical rainforests that host a bewildering array of exotic and protected plants and animals.
Twenty one million tourists came to Turkey in 2005. The number will probably rise in 2006 due to the solar eclipse on March 29th. Fez Travel is organising three solar eclipse tours ranging from seven to fifteen days. Another popular adventure attraction is Kadir’s tree houses in Olympos.
Egyptian Experience introduced a new dimension to travel in Egypt: cycling along the river between Luxor and Aswan. The company also offers a variety of activities in the Sinai desert including 4x4 quad bike riding and camel riding and sells two bedroom apartments in Sharm El Sheikh- the Red Sea Riviera.
Hinterland Travel is offering the first tour of the Kurdish areas of Turkey, Iran and Iraq. The ambitious three-week programme includes the battlefield where Alexander the Great defeated the Persian King Darius (Iraqi Kurdistan), Sanandaj in the heart of Kurdish Iran and Mount Ararat in Turkey with the superb Ishak Pasha Mosque and palace complex.
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