Rural tourism in the Arab countries of the Middle East: history and modernity

This article is another completed cycle of a large project devoted to the study of the history of rural tourism as a cultural phenomenon in Asia and Africa. The purpose of the study is to carry out a critical analysis of the history of formation and the current state of rural tourism in the Arab countries of the Middle East, revealing the potential of each country. The article provides a critical analysis of scientific literature published in Russia and abroad on the state of rural tourism in this region. Three groups of countries are distinguished according to the degree of development of rural tourism. The group of leaders includes Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Yemen and Libya are classified as outsiders. Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Syria, Sudan made up the main group identified as "middle peasants" ("developing"). Some stereotypes in the perception of tourism in the Arab countries of the Middle East have been destroyed. It is shown that Egypt cannot be called a country of exclusively "beach" tourism. The characterization of the Middle East as a region in which tourists are not guaranteed security is questioned. The specifics of each country are shown: if staying in Yemen is unsafe for foreign tourists, then there are practically no criminal or terrorist threats in Jordan. The main scientific result: it is proved that at present the prerequisites for the restoration of the tourism industry are ripe in the Arab countries of the Middle East and they are of the greatest interest to tourists from Russia, including in terms of rural tourism. The implementation of this scenario is possible after the successful implementation of the plans for the development of the tourism industry, adopted in a number of Arab countries in the Middle East.