Revising itineraries of tourism and tourism studies in the Middle East and North Africa

This introduction to the special issue on tourism, culture, and heritage in the Middle East and North Africa (ME/NA) provides a survey of the shifting relationship between the region and the international tourism economy. It argues that in the past decade, tourists, tourism firms, and investment capital from within the region have been driving the increase in agency of local actors who have used tourism as a means to shape the experience of globalization in the ME/NA. The essay then advocates the diffusion of that agency from firms and governments to local societies and communities. With the help of tourism scholars from the region (and elsewhere) who understand these local voices, the author suggests that a global diffusion of images and knowledge about diverse places and cultures across the region might help promote a transformation of the global cultural political economy of tourism. Finally, the essay outlines the other contributions to the special issue and how they might advance such a project.