KIMBERLY SUZANNE PAEZ BSTM 2-1

DIFFERENCES OF CULTURE IN WEST ASIA

The culture of Bahrain is part of the historical region of Eastern Arabia. Thus,
Bahrain's culture is similar to that of its Arab neighbours in the Persian Gulf
region. Bahrain is known for its cosmopolitanism, Bahraini citizens are very
ethnically diverse.
Iraq has long reflected cultural diversity. Although Iraqis generally are a religious
and conservative people, there are strong secular tendencies in the country. Iraq
is a Muslim nation with Arabic and Kurdish as its official languages. As such,
Islamic holidays are celebrated.
Jordanians typically respect those who are kind, friendly, and hospitable. They
are generally socially conservative; family values and honor are fiercely
protected. Jordanians are proud of their rich cultural heritage. Host a Jordanian
student in the U.S.
Kuwaiti popular culture, in the form of dialect poetry, film, theatre, radio and
television soap opera, flourishes and is even exported to neighboring states.
Within the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, the culture of Kuwait is the closest to
the culture of Bahrain.
The predominant culture is fundamentally conservative and exhibits a great deal
of respect for traditions, drawing on many Arab customs. Long-standing Islamic
and Christian traditions remain deeply ingrained in social norms and
expectations. However, many practices and lifestyles also reflect European
influences
The culture of Oman is steeped in the religion of Islam. Oman has developed its
own unique subsect of Islam, known as Ibadhism, however other strands of
Islam such as Sunni and Shi'a are also practiced.
The Culture of Palestine is closely related to those of its nearby countries such
as Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. Major aspects of Palestinian Society and Culture
include customs, religion, language, literature, art, costume and music of
the land and its inhabitants.
The culture of Qatar is strongly influenced by traditional Bedouin culture, with
less acute influence deriving from India, East Africa and elsewhere in the
Persian Gulf. The peninsula's harsh climatic conditions compelled its inhabitants
to turn to the sea for sustenance.
The culture of Saudi Arabia is defined by its Islamic heritage, its historical role as
an ancient trade centre, and its Bedouin traditions. The Saudi society has
evolved over the years, their values and traditions from customs, hospitality to
their style of dressing, are adapting with modernization.
Syria is a traditional society with a long cultural history. Importance is placed on
family, religion, education and self-discipline and respect. The Syrian's taste for
the traditional arts is expressed in dances such as the al-Samah, the Dabkeh in
all their variations and the sword dance.
Emirati culture is based on Arabian culture, with influences from the cultures of
East Africa and Indian Subcontinent. The religion of Islam has had a prominent
influence on local architecture, music, attire, cuisine, and lifestyle.
Yemen is a culturally-rich country, with most of its influences coming from the
Sheba Kingdom as well as from early Islam. The music and dance in the country
also stems from these times though today's Yemen traditions were primarily
founded by the Yemenite Jews.
SIMILARITIES OF CULTURE IN WEST ASIA
West Asia (or Southwest Asia as Ian Morrison puts it, or sometimes referred to
as the Middle East) has their cultural roots in the pioneering civilizations of the
Fertile Crescent and Mesopotamia, spawning the Persian, Arab, Ottoman
empires, as well as the Abrahamic religions of Judaism and later Islam.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_Iraq
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_Jordan

DIFFERENCES OF TOURISM IN WEST ASIA

Bahrain is famous for its gorgeous pearls which used to make their way all over
the world from its bustling ports. Contrary to popular belief, it was these precious
jewels from the sea that first made this Middle Eastern hub rich, rather than its
more famous oil.
Tourism in Iraq refers to tourism in the Western Asian country Iraq. The capital
city Baghdad is the second largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. Iraq has
several Islamic pilgrimage sites related to Shia Islam. Iraq is considered to be a
potential location for ecotourism.[1] Erbil was chosen as "Arab Tourism Capital" in
2014 by the Arab Tourism Committee.[2] Yet, the cities of Karbala and Najaf are
the most popular tourist destinations in Iraq due to the location of religious sites
in the country.
Jordan is a sovereign Arab state in the Middle East. The capital, Amman, is
Jordan's most populous city as well as the country's economic, political and
cultural centre.
Its major tourist attractions include visiting historical sites, like the worldwide
famous Petra (UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985, and one of New Seven
Wonders of the World), the Jordan River, Mount Nebo, Madaba, numerous
medieval mosques and churches, and unspoiled natural locations (as Wadi
Rum and Jordan's northern mountainous region in general), as well as
observing cultural and religious sites and traditions.
Jordan also offers health tourism, which is focused in the Dead Sea area,
education tourism, hiking, snorkeling and scuba diving in Aqaba's coral
reefs, pop-culture tourism and shopping tourism in Jordan's cities. More than
half of the approximate 4.8 million Arab tourists in 2009, mainly from the GCC,
said they plan to spend their holidays in Jordan.[1]
Kuwait's tourism is relatively underdeveloped in comparison to other GCC
countries. In 2011, Kuwait ranked 61st globally with 362,000 tourists, which is
expected to grow to about 639,000 by 2021. ... In 2009, Tourism contributed
USD 535 Million, accounting for 0.88% of the country's exports.

The tourism industry in Lebanon has been historically important to the local
economy and remains to this day to be a major source of revenue for Lebanon.
Before the Lebanese Civil War, Beirut was widely regarded as "The Paris of the
Middle East" or also "The Pearl of the Middle East" often cited as a financial and
business hub where visitors could experience
the Levantine Mediterranean culture, cuisine, history, archaeology,
and architecture of Lebanon.
Oman is a country on the Arabian Peninsula. Tourism in Oman grew
considerably during the 2000s, and a 2013 report predicted that it would become
one of the largest industries in the nation. In 2019, Oman attracted about 4.1
million visitors from around the world, a massive increase from 3.1 million in
2017 as per the 2019 Tourism Statistic Bulletin from the National Centre for
Statistics and Information (NCSI), Oman.
Tourism in the Palestinian territories is tourism in East Jerusalem, the West
Bank, and the Gaza Strip. In 2010, 4.6 million people visited the Palestinian
territories, compared to 2.6 million in 2009. Of that number, 2.2 million were
foreign tourists while 2.7 million were domestic.
Palestine is home to the three major religions, and is rich with Islamic and
Christian holy momentums that attract a huge number of tourists each year.
Recreation and tourist facilities are available across Palestine to serve tourists.
Conference facilities are also available for use of businessmen.

Tourism in Qatar is divided into several categories – cultural, historical, religious

and maritime. The most prominent Qatari tourist attraction is Mathaf: the Arab
Museum of Modern Art, which is one of the new museums, revealing the
technical inventory of contemporary Arabs in an attractive and distinctive way.
Saudi Arabia is the second biggest tourist destination in the Middle East with
over 16 million visiting in 2017.[1] Although most tourism in Saudi Arabia still
largely involves religious pilgrimages, there is growth in the leisure tourism
sector. As the tourism sector has been largely boosted lately, the sector is
expected to be the white oil for Saudi Arabia. This is proved as tourism sector is
expected to generate $25 billion in 2019.[2] Potential tourist areas include
the Hijaz and Sarawat Mountains, Red Sea diving and a number of ancient
ruins.
Although Syria has some of the oldest cities in Western Asia, such
as Damascus and Aleppo (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), tourism in
Syria has greatly reduced as a result of the Syrian War, that began in 2011 and
is ongoing, and its associated refugee crisis. Tourism has been further impacted
by the outbreak of COVID-19 starting in March 2020. The international economic
sanctions imposed on Syria and the sharp drop in the value of the Syrian
pound (SYP) also adversely impact tourism in Syria. The Ministry of Tourism is
the responsible government department.
Tourism in the United Arab Emirates is an important component of the Emirati
economy, and consists of domestic and international components. In 2018,
tourist industry composed over 164.7 billion dirham to country's GDP.[1][2]
The tourist industry of the United Arab Emirates is the most successful among
the Gulf nations, and have long enjoyed status as the leading tourist nation of
the GCC.[3] The country is also the major tourist force in the Arab world.
[4]
Tourism employed more than 604,300 people for the United Arab Emirates as
for 2018.[5] It is expected to continue expanding, with the revenue increased
12,4% of the country's GDP in 2027, and will employ more 410,000 people to
the industry.[6] Effort to Emiratize the industry has been ongoing, which is
considered crucial for the development of the country's tourism.[7]

Tourism in Yemen refers to tourism to Yemen. Traditionally, Yemen has been a

tourism centre for centuries as it is at the middle of the trade routes of the Middle
East and the Horn of Africa. Tourism played a fundamental role of the region in
global trade and has remained so until the 20th century. Afterwards, there has
been a sharp decline in tourism since the 2011 Yemen Crisis. The rise of
extremism caused fear in prospective foreign tourists to Yemen.[1] Yemen has
four World Heritage Sites,[2] some of the sites have been attacked including
historic old city of Sana'a.[3][4] In 2015 UNESCO declared its plan to protect the
world heritage sites of Yemen.[5]

SIMILARITIES OF TOURISM IN WEST ASIA

Western Asia is primarily arid and semi-arid, and can be subject to drought, but
it also contains vast expanses of forest and fertile valleys. The region consists of
grasslands, rangelands, deserts, and mountains