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Islamic Tourism. The tourism sector is becoming increasingly important in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in terms of investment, job creation, competitiveness and quality. Many MENA countries perceive tourism as the best long-term alternative to the oil industry on which the region has been heavily dependent.
Working initially with colleagues from Libya, Egypt and Oman, researchers in the Welsh School of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure Management have established the Middle East and North African Tourism Research Centre (MENATREC) to act as a catalyst and umbrella for tourism research and development for the region. MENATREC will focus on tourism development issues in the MENA and is proposed as a driving force to maximise the benefits of the tourism industry whilst preserving the region芒鈧劉s unique culture and identity.
It will provide a vehicle for institutional collaboration and capacity building in relation to tourism research and will enable tourism researchers to network and collaborate in bidding for contract research projects. MENATREC will enable the sharing of best practices in relation to tourism development issues as well as providing a forum for tourism researchers.
MENATREC is interested in establishing contact with potential stakeholders, including:
脗路 Higher education institutions;
脗路 Ministries of Tourism, Ministries of Economic Development/Commerce and Ministries of Education, as appropriate;
脗路 National Tourism Organisations in MENA countries;
脗路 Local tourism offices in MENA;
脗路 Non-governmental organisations (NGOs), e.g. tourism association and societies;
脗路 Independent researchers;
脗路 Journal editors and freelance journalists;
脗路 Financial institutions;
脗路 Relevant research funding agencies.
Short-term objectives for MENATREC include:
脗路 Establishing partnerships and fostering links with strategic tourism stakeholders in MENA;
脗路 Seeking WTO recognition as a Centre of Excellence;
Capacity building for tourism scholars from different areas of the region;
脗路 Establishing a database of relevant research accessible from a MENATREC website;
脗路 Analysing current national policies with regard to the tourism industry;
脗路 Investigation of viable policy alternatives to promote tourism development;
脗路 Exploration of socio-cultural, economic and political factors that inhibit community participation in tourism development;
脗路 Development of collaborative bids for research projects;
脗路 Hosting a conference on sustainable tourism development in MENA;
脗路 Development of a journal as a vehicle to disseminate best practice in tourism development appropriate to MENA;
脗路 Collaborative tendering for MENA-related consultancy and contract research projects.
Key MENATREC staff include:
Dr Eleri Jones, Director of MENATREC and Head of the Welsh School of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure Management at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, manages an extensive portfolio of projects designed to promote interaction between the university and the tourism industry.. Eleri has a special interest in tourism development and works in partnership with public sector agencies promoting tourism development in Wales. She has supervised a number of students undertaking MPhil and PhD research on a range of tourism development issues and has good institutional links with universities in the MENA region.
Mokhtar Jwaili, Project Manager for MENATREC, is just completing his PhD in tourism marketing at the University of Glamorgan.
For further information on MENATREC please contact Dr Eleri Jones (ejones@uwic.ac.uk), Mokhtar Jwaili (majwaili@glam.ac.uk).
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