Shopping, tourism and hyper- development in the Middle East and North Africa

Shopping is central to tourism and considered an integral part of the tourist trip. As a visitor attraction and activity, it is often influential in destination branding. The actual and potential contribution of shopping tourism to local and national economies has resulted in its adoption as a tourism policy and promotional strategy. This chapter explores aspects of shopping tourism in the MENA region with specific reference to cities, which advertise themselves as shopping destinations and the factors that enable success. The chapter demonstrates how tourism and shopping are closely connected and shopping destinations in the MENA region are an interesting and suitable setting in which to explore their inextricable and dynamic relationship. City destinations within the MENA region are used and shopping is proven to be a highly profitable activity for tourists, where there is a presence of a large and diverse supply of retailers. Matters are discoursed within the framework of countries within the MENA region and the cities which are leading, albeit mature, international tourist centres where shopping is crucial to the visitor experience. It shows visibly in official marketing and development plans and tourist expenditure is a major contributor to revenues within the retail sector and the national economy.