While Americans are among the most traveled people on the planet, one place they are avoiding is the Middle East and Arab countries. At one time, the Middle East was a favored destination to Americans but these days with the rising Islamic extremism, the violence and continued conflicts, tourism to the Arab World from the United States is collapsing
By Ray Hanania
Ray Hanania
covering Chicago
City Hall
(1976-1992)
At one time, Beirut, Amman, Occupied Jerusalem, Cairo and Marrakesh were among the top cities visited by American tourists.
These days, American tourists have gone in different directions and tourism to major Arab World cities and destinations has decreased. The only place where travel continues is to the Gulf States and cities in the United Arab Emirates. That only partly explains why three American airlines have joined in a campaign to terminate the licenses of three of the Gulf’s biggest airlines from operating in the United States. (Click here to read about that racist anti-Arab campaign by United Airlines, Delta Airline and American Airlines.)
Aside from the anti-Arab campaigns launched recently by key American airline companies like United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Airlines, a major reason for the decline is the spread of violence throughout the Middle East by both Israel and the United States.
Israel’s military violence include the Sinai, Occupied Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and Southern Lebanon and Syria, now that Israel has broken its commitment to regional peace. Israel has increased its investments in its military and operations targeting Arab and regional countries including Iran and Iraq. Since it’s assault on Iraq in 1990, the United States has stepped up military aggression in many Arab countries including Yemen, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and nation’s surrounding the Middle East such as Afghanistan, which has been in American control since just after the terrorism of Sept. 11 nearly 15 years ago.
Cafés in downtown Beirut (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The Middle East is now back under Western assault and occupation, as it was after World War I, and promises of freedom made by the Allies during World War II in order to defeat the Nazis and curtail the expansion of the old Soviet Union, have been muted.
Most Arab country leaders continue to rule dictatorships that deny Democracy, despite more than five years of the so-called “Arab Spring,” a Western defined concept that made more of a violent news story for the biased mainstream American news media than a movement for freedom in the Arab World. Arab protestors have been abandoned and backstabbed by Americans who once called for “Democracy” and “freedom” for the people of the Arab World. America continues to fund and arm Israel, which is the leading source of military violence killing Arabs in the Middle East.
And the Islamic State is expanding its foothold in areas where post-Sept. 11th American oppression, such as in Iraq, has caused the destruction of the civilian leadership and racked up millions in civilian fatalities during blanket assaults by American soldiers against Arab targets.
While many nations turn to the promotion of tourism and the protection of major tourism destinations in their countries, the nations of the Arab World continue to falter, failing to fund major tourism campaigns. Arab tyrants are instead taking public funds and storing them in Swiss Bank accounts or funding outrageous personal travel to destinations like France, Britain and other areas where the sheikhs and their huge entourage engage int he very things that they prohibit their citizens from participating in, dancing, movies, entertainment, gambling, alcohol and westernized dress.
Dubai indoor Ski SlopeArabs in America, meanwhile, remain in a continued dysfunctional state with no activism of their own focused on improving their on condition. Instead, the Arab activists continue to promote extremist religious beliefs and have wrapped that extremism around popular causes like the liberation of Palestine, while actually doing very little to liberate Palestine at all.
Failure is a goal among many Arab organizations in America, a strategy that reflects the same strategy that was and is the goal of many Arab nations. Many of America’s Arabs are physically in America but they are mentally focused on “back home.” And even among the Arabs of the Middle East, they are engaged in so much internal bickering, unfocused agendas and the promotion of hatred and discrimination themselves that the community is dysfunctional and incapable of improvement.
Dubai Burj al Arab hotelThe American Arab revolution to free Palestine and to change the stereotypes of anti-Arab racism that began successfully in the 1970s, has been replaced by a self-destructive campaign of activism fed by personal agendas, infighting, and dysfunction.
Americans see this and that reinforces their fears and hesitations to travel to Middle East destinations. If Arabs in America are battling each other, imagine how much worse it is in Jordan, Palestine, and Lebanon, where Beirut was once considered the jewel of the Arab World but today is a melting pot of violence and sectarian strife.
The largest group of Americans traveling to the Middle East are assault soldiers, military personal, mercenaries recruited by black-ops terrorism organizations like BlackWater, U.S. Navy Seal Team Six assassins on kill missions, and armed American militias driven by anti-Arab racism and anti-Islamic hatred.
A recent survey by Hotels.com, the leading monitor of tourism and travel in the world, has noted the top destinations of American travelers in both America and to International cities.
Only one city is listed, today, among the top 50 destinations of Americans and that is Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, which is today under assault by the three leading American airlines (United Airlines, Delta Airlines and American Airlines).
Here is the data and information from Hotels.com:
With summer winding down and holiday travel plans beginning to take shape, Hotels.com® has released the most popular cities from the first half of 2015, highlighting the most popular domestic and international destinations based on data from the Hotel Price Index™ (HPI®).
Top Domestic Destinations
While the Top 10 U.S. destinations for American travelers remained largely the same as the first half of 2014, several Southwest and Midwest destinations rose in popularity. After seeing record-breaking crowds this year, the Grand Canyon region made the biggest jump in the rankings from outside the Top 50 to #45. Phoenix also experienced an increase in popularity in the first half of 2015 after being on the national stage and hosting the country’s biggest sporting event in February. The city jumped two spots to become the 27th most popular domestic destination, replacing Atlantic City, which fell 12 spots to #39.
Kansas City (#29) and St. Louis (#30) also made big leaps as each moved ahead four spots to join Chicago (#6) and Detroit (#28) as top Midwest destinations. California hotspots San Diego (+1 spot to #4) and Anaheim (+2 to #17) also rose in domestic popularity, but with a revitalized downtown and a flurry of new restaurant openings, it was the state capital of Sacramento (+4 spots to #31) that saw the biggest increase on the west coast.
50 Most Popular Domestic Cities for American Travelers | |||||
City | H1* 2015 vs H12014 Change | City | H1 2015 vs H12014 Change | City | H1 2015 vs H12014 Change |
1. Las Vegas, Nev. | No Change | 18. Philadelphia, Pa. | -1 | 35. Reno, Nev. | +3 |
2. New York, N.Y. | No Change | 19. Seattle, Wash. | -1 | 36. Raleigh, N.C. | +1 |
3. Orlando, Fla. | No Change | 20. Dallas, Texas | +1 | 37. Jacksonville, Fla. | -1 |
4. San Diego, Calif. | +1 | 21. Nashville, Tenn. | -1 | 38. Newark, N.J. | +2 |
5. Los Angeles, Calif. | -1 | 22. Portland, Ore. | No Change | 39. Atlantic City, N.J. | -12 |
6. Chicago, Ill. | No Change | 23. Tampa, Fla. | +1 | 40. Savannah, Ga. | +1 |
7. San Francisco, Calif. | No Change | 24. Fort Lauderdale, Fla. | -1 | 41. Honolulu, Hawaii | -2 |
8. Washington, D.C. | No Change | 25. Myrtle Beach, S.C. | +1 | 42. Albuquerque, N.M. | +1 |
9. Houston, Texas | No Change | 26. Charlotte, N.C. | -1 | 43. Columbus, Ohio | +1 |
10. San Antonio, Texas | No Change | 27. Phoenix, Ariz. | +2 | 44. Charleston, S.C. | -2 |
11. Atlanta, Ga. | No Change | 28. Detroit, Mich. | No Change | 45. Grand Canyon | New to list |
12. Boston, Mass. | No Change | 29. Kansas City, Mo. | +4 | 46. Arlington, Va. | -1 |
13. New Orleans, La. | No Change | 30. St. Louis, Mo. | +4 | 47. Pigeon Forge, Tenn. | +3 |
14. Denver, Colo. | No Change | 31. Sacramento, Calif. | +4 | 48. Oklahoma City | No Change |
15. Miami, Fla. | No Change | 32. Indianapolis, Ind. | -2 | 49. Memphis, Tenn. | No Change |
16. Austin, Texas | No Change | 33. Baltimore, Md. | -2 | 50. Virginia Beach, Va. | -4 |
17. Anaheim, Calif. | +2 | 34. Salt Lake City, Utah | -2 | ||
Top International Destinations for Americans
For U.S. travelers going abroad in the first half of 2015, Canada again was the place to visit. Toronto (#4) andVancouver (#5) remained in the Top 5, while Montreal jumped two spots to #6 and Niagara Falls remained in the Top 20 at #14.
The list of most popular international destinations for Americans in the first half of 2015 also featured several newcomers. Budapest’s international airport is on pace to break 2014’s record number of passengers and the Hungarian capitol saw one of the biggest jumps in popularity internationally, breaking into the rankings at #41. Meanwhile, Mexico’s Ciudad Juarez (#44), which launched a tourism campaign called “Juarez is Waiting for You” in April to attract travelers, entered the Top 50 at #44.
Other international cities to rise in popularity in the first six months of 2015 included Bangkok (+10 to #11), Punta Cana (+9 spots to #40), Sydney (+5 spots to #28) and Dubai (+5 spots to #17).
50 Most Popular International Cities for American Travelers | |||||
City | Country | H1 2015 vs H1 2014 Change | City | Country | H1 2015 vs H1 2014 Change |
1. London | United Kingdom | No Change | 26. Riviera Maya | Mexico | +3 |
2. Paris | France | No Change | 27. Prague | Czech Republic | No Change |
3. Rome | Italy | No Change | 28. Sydney | Australia | +5 |
4. Toronto | Canada | No Change | 29. Milan | Italy | +3 |
5. Vancouver | Canada | No Change | 30. Copenhagen | Denmark | -2 |
6. Montreal | Canada | +2 | 31. Shanghai | China | -6 |
7. Barcelona | Spain | -1 | 32. Panama City | Panama | +3 |
8. Tokyo | Japan | -1 | 33. Los Cabos | Mexico | -2 |
9. Hong Kong | Hong Kong | No Change | 34. Vienna | Austria | +2 |
10. Amsterdam | Netherlands | No Change | 35. Athens | Greece | +3 |
11. Bangkok | Thailand | +10 | 36. Beijing | China | -6 |
12. Venice | Italy | No Change | 37. Stockholm | Sweden | +4 |
13. Madrid | Spain | +1 | 38. Edinburgh | United Kingdom | +2 |
14. Niagara Falls | Canada | -3 | 39. Bogota | Colombia | No Change |
15. Florence | Italy | -2 | 40. Punta Cana | Dominican Republic | +9 |
16. Mexico City | Mexico | No Change | 41. Budapest | Hungary | New to List |
17. Dubai | United Arab Emirates | +5 | 42. Vallarta | Mexico | +1 |
18. Dublin | Ireland | -1 | 43. Bali | Indonesia | New to List |
19. Istanbul | Turkey | -1 | 44. Ciudad Juarez | Mexico | New to List |
20. Cancun | Mexico | No Change | 45. Calgary | Canada | No Change |
21. Berlin | Germany | +3 | 46. Frankfurt | Germany | +1 |
22. Singapore | Singapore | -3 | 47. Brussels | Belgium | +3 |
23. Munich | Germany | +3 | 48. Buenos Aires | Argentina | -11 |
24. San Juan | Puerto Rico | -9 | 49. Reykjavik | Iceland | New to List |
25. Seoul | South Korea | -2 | 50. Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | -6 |
*H1 is the first half of 2014 or 2015
Top U.S. Destinations for International Travelers
New York (#1), Las Vegas (#2) and Orlando (#3) remained the three most popular U.S. destinations for international visitors in the first half of 2015, while San Francisco surpassed Los Angeles and Miami to reach the #4 spot. The Grand Canyon rose in popularity amongst international visitors as well, moving from #24 to #20. The national park was recently named the sixth most popular international landmark on Chinese travelers’ wish lists according to the Hotels.com Chinese international Travel Monitor.
To find more travel ideas and tips, follow Hotels.com on Twitter at @hotelsdotcom and #TravelExperts. For exclusive last-minute deals, visit http://www.hotels.com/hotel-deals or download the Hotels.com mobile app.
About Hotels.com (www.hotels.com)
Hotels.com L.P. operates Hotels.com, a leading online accommodation booking website with properties ranging from international chains and all-inclusive resorts to local favorites and bed & breakfasts, together with all the information needed to book the perfect stay. Special apps for mobile phones and tablets can also be downloaded enabling customers to book on the go with access to 20,000 last minute deals.
© 2015 Hotels.com, LP. Hotels.com, The Obvious Choice, Hotel Price Index and the Hotels.com logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Hotels.com, LP in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. CST # 2083949-50
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rayhanania
Ray Hanania is an award winning political and humor columnist who analyzes American and Middle East politics, and life in general. He is an author of several books.
"I write about three topics, the Middle East, politics and life in general. I often take my life experiences and offer them in an entertaining way to readers, and I take on the toughest topics like the Israel-Palestine conflict and don't pull any punches about what I feel is fair. But, my priority is always about writing the good story."
Hanania covered Chicago Politics and Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992. Hanania began writing in 1975 when he published The Middle Eastern Voice newspaper in Chicago (1975-1977). He later published “The National Arab American Times” newspaper which was distributed through 12,500 Middle East food stores in 48 American States (2004-2007).
Hanania writes weekly columns on Middle East and American Arab issues for the Arab News in Saudi Arabia at www.ArabNews.com, Middle East Monitor in London, the TheArabDailyNews.com, www.TheDailyHookah.com and at SuburbanChicagoland.com. He has also published weekly columns in the Jerusalem Post newspaper, YNetNews.com, Newsday Newspaper in New York, the Orlando Sentinel Newspapers, and the Arlington Heights Daily Herald.
Palestinian, American Arab and Christian, Hanania’s parents originate from Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
Hanania is the recipient of four (4) Chicago Headline Club “Peter Lisagor Awards” for Column writing. In November 2006, he was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist” by the New American Media. In 2009, Hanania received the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award for Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the recipient of the MT Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. He was honored for his writing skills with two (2) Chicago Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild. In 1990, Hanania was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times editors for a Pulitzer Prize for his four-part series on the Palestinian Intifada.
His writings have also been honored by two national Awards from ADC for his writing, and from the National Arab American Journalists Association.
The managing editor of Suburban Chicagoland Online News website www.SuburbanChicagoland.com, Hanania's columns also appeare in the Southwest News Newspaper Group of 8 newspapers.
Click here to send Ray Hanania and email.
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Visit this link to read Ray's column archive at the ArabNews,com ArabNews.com/taxonomy/term/10906
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