At the confluence of south-western Asia and north-eastern Africa, lies the centre of a region commonly referred to as the Middle East. In modern terms the region consists of 16 countries in total, six of which are featured here.
The countries of the Middle East are steeped in history and tradition, having witnessed over 5,000 years of changing civilisation and culture along with the birth of the world's three great monotheistic religions -Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the latter being predominant throughout the region.
In spite of the many political problems with which the Middle East is all too often associated, nothing can disguise the genuinely tolerant, welcoming and generous demeanour of the people and their pride in their ancient culture and way of life. Where else on earth would you find so much history and diversity in such accessible abundance? The ancient sites of Egypt and Oman, the Roman and biblical monuments of Jordan, the contrasting architectural styles of Bahrain, Doha, Abu Dhabi and Dubai and the vast mountain and desert landscapes that pervade the entire region.
The Middle East is an unrivalled and incomparable pot-pouree of sights and sounds. The hardest choice is often just where to start and how to go about it. The following will hopefully go a long way towards assisting you in that task.
Over the last decade, the expansion of tourism to and within the Middle East has been nothing short of astounding. The majority of this growth has occurred within the destinations featured in this brochure with examples readily apparent throughout the pages that follow. Through the introduction of a series of ground-breaking tourism initiatives, Dubai, in particular, has achieved phenomenal growth and can now count itself amongst the world's most sought after holiday destinations. Far from being left behind, however, Jordan and Oman have also benefited from significant tourism development initiatives reflected by a pronounced increase in visitor figures. Egypt has enjoyed a renewed interest in its classical sites as well as seeing rapid expansion on its Red Sea coastlines. The appearance of world-class hotels and resorts are an increasingly common feature in holiday centres as far ranging as Sharm El-Sheikh, Petra and Muscat with the trend set to continue, although thankfully not without a certain degree of control.
Once the domain of the business traveller alone, more recently the Gulf states of Bahrain and Qatar have joined the tourism surge, with the introduction of several international luxury brand names. The Emirate of Abu Dhabi has also taken steps to emulate the success enjoyed by its U.A.E. neighbour, Dubai, the impressive Emirates Palace providing what is possibly the ultimate statement of intent in this regard.

Luxury Middle East Holidays

Cheap Middle East Holidays